Free Radicals: Destructive Scavengers and the Vital Role Antioxidants Play

Several years ago, it was all over the news. Free radicals were damaging - we all had them, and antioxidants were the solution. But what role really do free radicals play in damaging the body, and how are we supposed to best get rid of them? How do antioxidants work and what is the best way of adding them to our diet?

24 hours a day, while the body is constantly working, cells are metabolizing and creating energy as they carry out their tasks. This natural process results in free radicals, the same way driving to work in your car creates exhaust fumes. Some free radicals are natural byproducts of the ongoing workings of the body. Some are from environmental factors, such as pollution, radiation, and cigarette smoke.

A free radical is simply a molecule that is missing an electron. As soon as a molecule loses one of its attached electrons, it becomes unstable and seeks to re-stabilize itself by stealing an electron from the nearest molecule. This causes the attacked molecule to then become a free radical, and starts a chain reaction. Ultimately as the process continues this can lead to cell damage.

Free radicals become extremely damaging to the body as they steal electrons from your cells. They begin to spread like a wildfire through the years if your body does not have enough antioxidants to keep them in check. They can attack cell walls, get inside the cell, and cause damage to the DNA. This leads to cancer. Cancer is defined as a degenerative stress condition, and we can understand this better when we understand the role free radicals play.

The brain is the most active part of the body. It uses the most energy, and therefore is subject to bombardment with the most free radicals. The significance of this is not only that we feel negative effects in our mind - such as feeling tired and muddled - but also because brain is very important in its control of so many of the vital workings of our bodies.

When a free radical attacks, it can get into the cell and cause the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, to die or cease to function fully. This can disrupt one of a multitude of processes. A dead or poorly functioning mitochondria in a cell can disrupt or slow down neuronal firing. Mental illness is largely due to imbalances in the neuronal processes of our natural brain chemistry. A poorly working or dead mitochondria can prevent certain natural functions from working, causing symptoms like hormonal imbalance.

Untreated, the damage from free radicals accumulates with age. They are the cause of many degenerative diseases, and are associated with many of the signs of the aging process.

Antioxidants are molecules loaded with extra free electrons. When we have enough antioxidants the free radicals get their electrons from the antioxidants in our body, rather than stealing them from our cells.

The body is naturally built to handle free radicals. Antioxidants are found in the vitamins A, C and E in the fruits and vegetables we eat. However even eating the 5-8 recommended servings a day, or using supplements still often does not do enough to combat the massive free radical damage.

Antioxidants from Vitamins E, C, and A actually pale in comparison to the phytonutrient antioxidants such as those found in red wine and blueberries. This is the reason for the French paradox, why it is being recommended to drink wine, eat chocolate, and drink green tea. They provide better sources of antioxidants.

There is an even better source: the newly discovered acai berry, of the Brazilian rainforest. It provides antioxidants in strengths 33 times more powerful than red wine. It floods the body with massive amounts of antioxidants and other essential nutrients. The acai berry is the number one ingredient for anti-aging recommended by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, in his book the Perricone Promise.

The acai berry can be best added to the diet in liquid form. A small dose of several ounces daily will flood the body with the vital antioxidants it needs. The acai berry is the best way to add to your diet the most powerful antioxidants combating free radical damage.

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Know How You Can Conceal Your Hair Loss

For many people, thinning hair is a reality that they would rather deal without. No matter whether their hair loss is due to a medical condition, is hereditary or is stress related, many cope with trying to style limp, thinning tresses on a daily basis. For these people the thoughts of their ever thinning hair are constantly on their mind when they go out into public or attend a special function.

The billion-dollar hair loss industry has shown that when it comes to hair, people are willing to do just about anything to grow new locks or keep a hold on ones that are slipping away. From camouflage sprays and mousses to massage therapy and surgery, the amount of money spent each year on these hair loss products prove that people with thinning hair are serious about concealing the problem.

But what can you do when all of these alternatives have failed, and you cannot afford expensive solutions such as surgery? Is there anything that you can do to conceal your thinning tresses? The answer is yes. There is an amazing amount of things that you can easily and inexpensively do to make your tresses look thicker, and it all begins with the right hair stylist.

Often, thinning hair is the result of genes that have been passed on to your from your parents. Male Pattern Baldness, identified by hair loss centered on the top of the head and a receding hair line, is the most common, but it is also not uncommon for women to suffer from this condition. While it is rare for women to become completely bald, they can become extremely thin all over the head, and it only gets worse with age. Another thing that contributes to hair loss is physical health. Conditions such as Thyroid disease and heart disease can wreak havoc on a healthy head of hair. And the medications to treat these illnesses can also have a profound, negative effect on hair as well.

In many cases, these types of hair loss are irreversible and a struggle to deal with on a daily basis. That is why it is so important to find the right professional to keep your hair looking the very best that it can. By wearing the right style and using the right products, you can add a good bit of volume and virtually conceal any amount of hair loss. So, your first step in concealing hair loss is to find a professional stylist who knows how to work with thinning and fragile hair.

Once you have found a stylist that understands hair loss, you need to work closely together to achieve the best results. Often, this means a great deal of discussing your hair loss, your lifestyle and your styling needs. There are many tricks up a stylist's sleeve to make your hair appear thicker, but none of them will do you any good if you are unable to create the effect at home. So, be sure to speak up and tell your stylist if you feel that you are unable to get the desired results at home.

Here are just a few of the rules that stylists follow to camouflage hair loss.

Keep it short. Long hair styles tend to pull hair down close to the scalp, which can make it all too obvious that there isn't a lot of hair to deal with. On top of that, thinning hair often looks straggly and unkempt if it is kept too long. Shorter cuts, on the other hand, can give the illusion of thickness. There are multitudes of styles that are perfect for thinning hair so you will have a large variety to choose from. Be sure to choose a cut that compliments your facial structure and has a lot of movement.

Plump with hair color. Hair color is one of the few chemical services that stylists can use on clients with thinning and fragile hair without causing breakage. In fact, the process of coloring hair plumps up each individual hair strand and makes it appear thicker. In addition, using coloring techniques that infuse different levels of lowlights and highlights into your hair takes attention off of your scalp and onto your beautifully colored hair.

Style with soft curl and the right products. Soft curl and full-bodied styles gently lift your hair up from your scalp and give you the appearance of having thick, lush hair. Also a great help are hair thickening shampoos, conditioners and styling products. But before buying products that claim to make your hair thicker, be sure to get your stylist's approval. Many products on the market simply cause build up to make hair appear thicker initially, but that build up will cause a great deal of breakage and damage down the road.

As you can see from these few examples, there are many things that you can do to conceal your hair loss. And I'm sure that your stylist will have a few suggestions of his or her own.

By Rose Lenk
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