Emed > Conditions > Woman’s Health > Are You Willing To Risk Your Life For Botox?

Are You Willing To Risk Your Life For Botox?

Botox, the anti-wrinkle treatment linked to several deaths, became almost as routine as a trip to the hairdresser.

Women, men and even children get “botoxised” with a risk of being paralysed or left with a brain damage.

What happened to ageing gracefully?

1.5 million injections of Botox and similar drugs were given to image-conscious Australians in 2009.

With the perception that it is safe, and being a relatively inexpensive form of plastic surgery (a few hundred dollars per shot), women have flocked to receive Botox hits to iron out wrinkles.

But did you know that Botox is a drug made from a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum?

Botulinum toxin is one of the most powerful neurotoxins, found in decomposing food, more powerful than cyanide. It’s the same toxin that causes a life-threatening type of food poisoning called Botulism.

Neurotoxins are substances attracted to the nervous system. They are absorbed by nerve endings and travel inside the neuron to the cell body.

On their way they disrupt vital functions of the nerve cell, such as transport of nutrients, mitochondrial respiration and proper DNA transcription.

The body is constantly trying to eliminate neurotoxins via the liver, kidney, skin and exhaled air. However, most neurotoxins are reabsorbed by the intestinal wall.

Cellular intoxication induces DNA damage and activation of the DNA damage responses, which results in activation of DNA repair mechanisms. Cells that fail to repair the damage die.

Any illness can be caused by, contributed to, or be exaggerated by neurotoxins.

Fatigue, depression, insomnia, memory loss and blunting of the senses are common early symptoms.

Botulinum toxin blocks the release of a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger) known as acetylcholine from nerve cells.

Acetylcholine normally transmits nerve impulses to muscle cells, causing them to contract.

Without acetylcholine, the affected nerve is unable to send a signal to the muscle it supplies, resulting in a weakened or paralysed muscle.

How Does Botox Work?

Botox injections can be used to weaken or paralyse some of the facial muscles that pull on your skin and cause wrinkles, allowing the skin to flatten out.

About 2 to 7 days after the injections, the lines and wrinkles that are normally caused by certain facial expressions start to disappear.

The effect can last for 2-4 months.

Doctors use Botox injections also to treat severe underarm sweating, severe neck and shoulder muscle contractions, uncontrollable blinking, and misaligned eyes.

What Can Go Wrong?

There is a possibility that the effect of botulinum toxin may spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism poisoning.

Symptoms of poisoning include double vision, eyelid drooping, loss of facial expression, constipation,inability to swallow, difficulty talking, trouble breathing, and loss of bladder control.

Eventually, severe botulism can result in paralysis of respiratory muscles, leading to respiratory arrest, coma, and death if untreated.

A Public Citizen analysis of FDA on Botox from 1997 to 2006 data found that makers of the drug have reported 180 U.S. cases of people developing life-threatening conditions after receiving injections, including 16 deaths and 87 hospitalisations; four of the deaths occurred in children less than 18 years of age.(1)

During a study conducted at the Italian National Research Council’s Institute of Neuroscience in Pisa, scientists injected Botox into the whisker muscles of rats and found that traces of the toxin was present in the brain of the rats six months after the experiment. (2)

In Germany the Federal Institute for Medication and Medical Products has received 210 reports with a suspected link to Botox, which is used by millions around the world, five cases were lethal. (3)

Botox Changes Our Genes

The real problem with exposure to toxic substances like Botox, isn’t the immediate impact on cells but the subsequent changes to genes’ activity.

Compounds that may not appear dramatically or immediately harmful on a cellular level nonetheless trigger significant havoc on genetic level, throwing off normal methylization patterns and causing the dysregulation of microRNAs, which direct gene expression.

Your genetic profile is a complex and dynamic process, an intersection of lifestyle choices with genetic factors, rather than just a simply static code that determines your health trajectory in life.

Diet, exercise, exposure to toxic chemicals, or clean air, medicines, even positive thoughts (which generate actual chemical signals) all influence gene expression – positively and/or negatively, depending on the choice.

The interaction between lifestyle choices and gene expression goes on every second of your life.

You are literally rebuilding yourself all the time. We’re active players who can create the path to our own wellness.

There are multiple future possible versions of you. It’s up to you to decide which version you will become. It’s up to you to make lifestyle choices that direct genes toward longevity and wellness.

It is all about what you choose for yourself today and your kids tomorrow. Your progress will be written in your genes themselves. To find out more about your unique genetic profile, click here.

So the next time you see your favorite celebrity, looking particularly smooth-skinned, remember that they injected a deadly toxin into their body and likely had difficulty enjoying food for awhile, so that they could look younger.

Natural Treatments for Wrinkles

Wrinkles are a representation of every emotion we have experienced throughout our lives.

Once thought of as an indicator of wisdom, today most of us do everything we can to get rid of wrinkles.

Although there are some factors that we cannot control, there are some steps you can take to help protect your skin and prevent the onset of wrinkles.

As you get older, the genes that control inflammation, the production and strength of collagen, and your skin’s ability to retain water begin to behave in a way that encourages the formation of wrinkles.

Free radicals – the unstable oxygen molecules produced by pollution, stress and sun are a skincare nightmare. They attack healthy skin cells and cause collagen breakdown, all of which lead to wrinkles.

Antioxidants are the natural enemies of free radicals, they help to off-set the damage done by free radicals that cause a loss of collagen, elasticity and firmness of the skin.

Antioxidants are present in many foods, like tomatoes, red peppers, red and dark orange-colored vegetables such as beets and carrots are great wrinkle fighters, kale, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, broccoli, spinach, etc.

Bioceuticals Ultra Potent C can help reduce skin damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, a key structural protein of the skin.

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant seen in many plants like red grapes and peanuts. The antioxidant benefits of Resveratrol help to slacken the process of aging by scavenging the damage causing free radicals from the body.

The free radicals would damage the cells and tissues of the body resulting in wrinkles and cell fatigue.Vitamin E is widely known for its antioxidant properties, making it a popular choice for fighting wrinkles. Vitamin E 500 can help reduce and neutralize the free radicals, along with preventing any damage they might cause.

Bioceuticals Selenium Forte has an ability to prevent free radicals damage and help improve tissue elasticity and reduce wrinkles.

Bioceuticals Ultra Clean EPA/ DHA contains Omega-3 acids that are responsible for skin repair, moisture content, and overall flexibility.

Smoking can damage collagen, and the squinting and lip pursing that comes with smoking directly create wrinkles over time. Stop smoking-heavy smokers are almost 5 times more likely to show excessive wrinkling than nonsmokers.

Exercise is another essential key to naturally keeping the skin free of wrinkles. Exercise facilitates oxygen production and the release of toxins.

Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated.

Eat and drink fruit an vegetables that are rich in colour and contain phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Facial massage has a wide range of benefits. It stimulates blood circulation to the skin, encourages the production of hydrating oils, and can also help improve muscle tone in the delicate facial muscles and prevents sagging and wrinkles.

Be happy! Having an optimistic, laid back approach to life might prevent wrinkles. At the very least, being happy will help you not care so much about the wrinkles!