One Case For and Against Special Ingredients...

You know those designer super-foods and mega-supplements? You know the ones I mean, which are all over the news today, from special fancy melons in France or cute little fruits from the mountains of Machu Pichu or seeds or even little blueberries or pomegranate extract? They were just normal foods, now they are over the top good for you or maybe they were never considered that great before, but now someone has good results with them in one research study, so everyone wants to try them?Next week, there will be a whole new love affair with a whole new list. Or maybe not. Some are gone in a flash, others find traction with a core group of people who find a benefit.

Nothing will take the place of a good, balanced diet and exercise in keeping you healthy, but for some, they find solace for certain conditions or help with weight loss or whatever else by including these in their lifestyle regimen. Great nutrients, regardless of where they are found, are great nutrients, and it is always good when you get the best quality nutrients in one food, more bang for your buck! After five years of working in university research, I know that no study is tried and true for everyone, and no exercise or supplement is, either.

Case in point, when I was early on in my days in research, the nurse on our study was using a joint supplement. One of the head researchers who had written the study, focusing on early knee osteoarthritis, felt very strongly that this was like a placebo effect- like a sugar pill given to some in research, causing a psychological improvement in symptoms. Last I heard, she is exercising more while taking it, he still thinks it is all in her head.

In the research we were doing, some folks had great benefit, others had additional health factors that led to more concerns, or needed more modifications than others.  Every person is different.  We can find a lot of common underlying ground, but no two people are exactly the same, or react the same to treatment.

I have also seen many instances where certain brands worked better than others.

But I digress.

One of these such super elements is Emu Oil. Some folks have dome to swear by it, for everything from psoriasis to eczema to arthritis and cancer, among a whole host of other things. The research on Emu Oil, however is still early, and while some folks report amazing effects, others  have not found any benefit at all.  Are the benefits a placebo? I don't know!  Funny thing is, they likely won't know, as the same sizes (number of folks in the study who actually complete the whole study and in the way they are supposed to) are often not that large. Part of that is because human subjects (people who volunteer for research) have lives outside of the research, and aren't always that compliant, so it's very difficult to make all of the conditions the same!

Nevertheless, Emu Oil is very popular in soaps and lotions, especially the all natural specialty ones. We have never been about merely have pretty, sweet smelling products, because the line was designed in response to my daughter's health issues, and expanded by individual requests for more types that either included or omitted specific oils or essential oils for the needs of different folks. So, as the preliminary research does tout great results for folks with arthritis and skin issues, and I have been reading more and more, we decided to try it.

This fledgling attempt with Emu Oil is available in a Emu Oil and Glycerin, lavender essential oil scented soap at present. I am interested in the feedback of our customers before expanding this too far, though I may try this with goat's milk formulas for the holidays, since I now have a local source for proper Emu Oil. The present recipe seems rather soft to me, with almost an oil film on it, that glistens, leading the kids to call it "the sparkly soap"

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that this is Emu Oil, rendered from Emu, and is not vegetarian. This means that any of the products we include in it in are not vegetarian or vegan. While this might seem obvious, there are a lot of names out there that make products  sound like something other than what they are, and folks might just not expect to have actual Emu Oil in soap.  Really, it doesn't sound like the norm now, does it?  I will take a moment later to blog about vegetarian and vegan soap options and ingredients, but if you have any questions at all about a soap or product you are interested in, just shoot me an email or message, I am glad to help you find what you need. =).  Additionally, if you would like to volunteer to be a product tester for new products, let me know! You would receive free products in exchange for your honest review to help shape the best natural products. Have a great day, and keep your questions and requests coming!