What women should know about sunscreen.

'Everybody's free to wear sunscreen'... Sorry Baz,... I love that song and although it's full of good advice, the one thing you are wrong about is the sunscreen!

It's funny when I have loads of blog ideas lined up, then one thought will lead me on a trail of research and reading and I end up blogging about something completely different.  I was sat in the garden this morning.  The UK is FINALLY seeing some nice weather.  The Sun is out, the air is warm, and everyone is feeling more cheery.

I found myself wondering about coconut oil, as I had read that it can be used as a natural sunscreen.  I'm at that point in the year when I will be looking for good deals on sun lotions to prepare us for the coming summer.  As I searched for recipes and information, I come across information about sunscreens containing oxybenzones.  All this info hit the UK news a few years ago, but I had obviously missed the info being released, or was just too busy with everyday life to pay attention.  The headlines were 'Sunscreens cause cancer' and everyone got all fired up about being one minute told to protect themselves and children in the Sun, and then being told that the very product they were using could have cancer causing effects.  Here is an article from the Daily Mail explaining what sun screens can do to the skin http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-134252/What-ingredients-sun-cream-health.html

Most sun screens available on the high street contain oxybenzones.  It is this product that soaks up the UV rays and allows us to stay in the sun longer.  Oxbenzone is an organic product that is traded under the names of Eusolex 4360 and Escalol 567.

This quote from Wikipedia highlights the controversy surrounding this as an ingredient in cosmetic products..

In the EU products intended for skin protection with 0.5% or more oxybenzone must be labeled "contains oxybenzone". This organic compound has been shown to penetrate into the skin where it acts as a photosensitizer. This results in an increased production of free radicals under illumination, possibly making this substance a photocarcinogen.[citation needed] This study concludes that "determining what, if any, type of damage is done by ROS generated by UV filters needs to be explored." This study is of oxybenzone and two other sunscreen active ingredients. Two years after the study this information is now reaching consumers,. Oxybenzone is a derivative of benzophenone, which can attack DNA when illuminated. It generates strand breaks and various photoproducts. Already in 1993 the use of oxybenzone had been strongly criticized, based on its similarity to benzophenone.

Oxybenzone can be found in a number of products, including lip balm, make up and moisturisers, especially if they have an SPF (Sun protection factor).  When doing a search for oxbenzone on EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, it returns 1171 products.  Environmental Working Group is a USA based site, but a quick scroll down, and I saw lots of brands I recognised.. Hawaiian Tropic, Avon, LaRoche, Vichy, L'Oreal, Blistex and Neutrogena to name a few.

So whats the deal?  Oxybenzone, although providing protection from sun burn, also effects other things in the body.  It absorbs easily, it also aids absorption, allowing other chemicals easy entrance through the skin into the body.  It can damage cells and can trigger allergies.  The worst thing about oxybenzone from a PMDD point of view is the fact it can upset the endocrine system, therefore cause or add to hormone problems.  It has been labelled as a 'hormone disruptor'.

Now, 'they' will have you believe that this is in these products in such a small amount that it will not cause any ill effects.. but what if you are re-applying this product repeatedly every day? As per government health recommendations.  Through the summer months, or if you live in a sunnier climate, you may plaster yourself in sun screen every day.  What if, on top of your sunscreen, your moisturiser, lip balm and make up also contain oxbenzone?  Is that still a small amount in the system?

As a hormone disruptor, oxybenzone mimics hormones, namely estrogen. It also effects the adrenal hormones.  It is claimed this is a weak effect, but what could that mean in someone whose hormones are already super sensitive?  As women with PMDD, we know that any upset to our delicate hormone system can cause massive impacts on our everyday life.  Some of us watch what we eat for this very same reason.. processed foods with unhealthy additives can also go towards making symptoms worse, so why not the chemicals we add through our skin.  Imagine someone who ate unhealthy foods regularly, used products that were full of these chemicals, maybe on the pill, or taking medications regularly... toxic overload to the body!

When they tested people in America, 97% had traces of oxybenzone in their system.  It has been linked to a low birth weight in baby girls, as it is easily absorbed into the mother's system and passes into the placenta.  I also need to mention that what isn't absorbed into our bodies, is washed into our water and absorbed into our earth.  This in turn causes hormone deficiencies in the fish that swim in our waters.. and who will be eating those fish?  The cycle continues.

There are also other ingredients you should try to avoid when buying sunscreen,  Retinyl Palminate is a source of vitamin A, and is sold as an anti aging product.  What they don't tell you is when in contact with the sun's rays, it heats up and breaks down, releasing free radicals which in turn INCREASES your risk of skin cancer.  Think of how many times your bottle of lotion is sat warming up in the sun, allowing chemicals to release from the plastic packaging and changing the chemicals in the cream.  Hence the 'Sunscreen causes cancer'  headlines.

Sunshine brings many benefits:

It helps to fight depression and SAD - sunlight is a natural mood enhancer.
It increases the body's production of melatonin and serotonin.  These are essential neurotransmitters which play distinct roles in regulating mood and health.  Sunshine also helps regulate sleep patterns by regulating the body clock, which in turn can help with a number of disorders.
Vitamin D helps to prevent cancer - When sunshine hits the skin, vitamin D is produced.  It also helps to prevent the development of various types of cancer such as prostate, ovarian, colon, lung and breast cancers.  Recent studies also show that vitamin D deficiency contributes to these types of cancer.  It also helps improve skin conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis.  Read more about vitamin D here, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php
It helps to improve sleep - Sunshine can help to regulate our body clocks, which then helps sleep patterns, depression and mood.

If you wear sunscreen, you effectively block all the goodness giving rays of the Sun.  Vitamin D will not be produced, as the Sun cannot penetrate the layer of sunscreen.  Add to that the chemical reaction that could be going on that is actually increasing free radicals into the skin and increasing the risk of cancer, and to top it off the fact that these lotions could actually make your PMDD worse, unsettle hormones and cause more stress on the body.

Look for these names on your bottle of sunscreen.  If they are there, your lotion contains oxybenzone:  BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOLMETHANE, OCTYL DIMETHYL PABA, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, RESORCINOL,BENZOPHENONE-3, 2-BENZOYL-5-METHOXYPHENOL; 2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYBENZOPHENONE; (2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYLMETHANONE; METHANONE, (2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL-; (2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL- METHANONE; OXYBENZONE(BENZOPHENONE-3) ; OXYBENZONE 6; METHANONE, (2HYDROXY4METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL; B3; DURASCREEN; SOLAQUIN

If it contains any of the following names, it contains retinal palmitate: RETINYL PALMITATE, AXEROPHTHOL PALMITATE; RETINOL, HEXADECANOATE; RETINOL PALMITATE; VITAMIN A PALMITATE;HEXADECANOATE RETINOL; AQUASOL A; AROVIT; OPTOVIT-A; RETINOL PALMITATE; VITAMIN A PALMITATE

I decided to check the kids sunscreen I used on my 6 year old daughter today... yup.. it contains butyl methoxydibenzolmethane.  It actually contains 23 chemicals... some safer than others.

I for one will be looking into natural products and ways to stay safe in the sunshine.  I am lucky enough to have Anglo Indian skin, which tans but rarely burns.  I have used sunscreen in the past, but tend to prefer sitting in the shade or covering up with a scarf.  After discovering this, there is no way I will happily smother myself or my kids in this stuff again.  When there are alternatives out there, I think it easy enough to switch and not take the risk to my health, and to feel like I'm doing my bit for Mother Earth too.

Look out for my next post about sun safety and chemical free sunscreen alternatives!

More reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxybenzone
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/oxybenzone-sunscreen-ingredient
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/retinyl-palmitate-vitamin-a
http://blog.canceractive.com/tag/oxybenzone/
http://fishcreek.ca/blog/?p=109
http://www.ewg.org/analysis/toxicsunscreen

Thoughts on the Pill

I'm on day 20.  I can feel the irritation and narkiness that comes with my pre menstrual phase building.  This the time of the month often brings about a rant, and today, what really grinds my gears (yes, that was a Family Guy reference) is all the talk about the contraceptive pill in the UK at the moment.

A news story came out today, in which an NHS report suggests that girls as young as 13 should be able to walk into a chemists and get the pill, without having to see a doctor http://uk.news.yahoo.com/over-counter-pill-girls-13-034326518.html.

Apparently, this already happens in some parts of London.  It is also currently possible to walk into a chemist and buy the morning after pill for around £25.  Some chemists were also talking about allowing women under 25 to gain free access to the morning after pill. 

...It follows a pilot scheme which found the number of women needing emergency contraception "dropped significantly" in the year following the introduction of over-the-counter access to the pill.

Well... duurrrrr.... what a surprise! 

Currently, teenage girls would need to speak to a doctor to get a prescription for the contraceptive pill, or go to a family planning clinic, where they would be seen by one of the qualified doctors there.  I'm not sure that parents have to be made aware of this or not, but at least the girl would have some proper advice given to her...  Blood pressure is taken, along with weight and other general questions and checks.  If you aren't grown up enough to ask your doc or go to a clinic, the you probably aren't grown up enough to be on the pill.
Allowing teenagers as young as 13, free access to the pill, with no medical guidance or advice is completely ridiculous.  I am so sick of the media and people banging on about the pill like it is a sugary sweet that magically stops you from getting pregnant. 

NEWS FLASH....
The contraceptive pill contains chemicals.  It contains synthetic forms of the hormones estrogen and progesterone (progestin).  They work by suppressing ovulation.  Some brands contain both forms (combined pill) and some just contain progestin (min-pill).  They don't work by magic.  They interrupt your natural rhythm, and stop your natural cycle.

Doctors and pharmaceutical companies will have you believe that the pill is THE cure for mood swings, it's the cure for acne, depression, for irregular periods and more... AND that all those things are abnormal and should be treated.

Hormones are created in response to signals from the brain.  Hormones are like a radio signal, and the receptors are the antenna.  When you take the pill, it over rides the radio signal.  It sends it's own signals to the receptors that stop ovulation.  The body's natural receptors then get used to this signal, and act accordingly.  But what happens with long term use?  or in young women bodies that are still forming and whose hormones are still settling down?

I know there ARE benefits to the pill...
 It has been shown to protect against cancer of the ovaries and the womb lining and pelvic inflammatory disease, a major cause of infertility in women, and (they claim) it can make periods more regular.  However, it is not recommended for women over 35 who smoke heavily, obese women, those with high blood pressure, a history of heart disease or blood clots and other illnesses, such as breast cancer.

I also know that a few ladies find it helps their PMDD, but the success rate is seriously hit and miss, and I would question if it is ever a good option for women who are sensitive to hormones.

My rant is really that all this talk about the pill being handed out to stop kids getting pregnant is only one part of the story.  What about the use of synthetic hormones in girls that are barely developed themselves?

So, 13 year old Rosie, who has only just started her period and whose hormones are still going crazy and haven't settled down yet, goes out to the chemists and get's the pill.  Her doctor doesn't know and nor does her mother.  She decides to go on it because she's heard it might stop the horrible spots she's been getting and she also really likes Jake and he really likes her and cos he already watches a ton of porn on the internet, she thinks he might want to have sex.  She is being responsible and doing the 'adult' thing in getting herself protected against pregnancy, but she hasn't talked to anyone other than her mates and the nice man at the chemists.  She can't tell her mum cos she would freak.  Rosie knows nothing of the effects the pill could have on her, neither does she understand what's in it and how it works...  Rosie and her mum don't talk about such things.  It's too embarrassing, and her mum would just think that she is a slut and is only going on it to sleep with boys....  Rosie has barely got used to her body having a cycle, her body has barely got used to the new hormones, then BAM... the pill enters her system and the cycle is gone.

Rosie is in control, she feels grown up and responsible.  After six months on the pill, Jake decides he wants to take the relationship further...  Rosie is hesitant but knows she can't get pregnant, so she decides the time is right.  She has some condoms in her purse too, which she knows help prevent catching STD's, so she asks Jake to wear one... He says there's no need, cos she's on the pill, and he hasn't done anything with anyone... reluctantly Rosie agrees.  She doesn't want to lose Jake or upset him....

Rosie and Jake have been together for a couple of years now.  They are 15 and have been sleeping together for a while.   Rosie's mum knows they are close, but doesn't know for sure if her daughter is having sex, and she tries to blank out those thoughts and ignore it.  It's too embarrassing.  She sort of assumes they aren't as Rosie has never asked about the pill or anything.  She puts Rosie's outbursts and mood swings down to her teenage hormones and just accepts that her daughter doesnt want to share anything with her.

Then, Rosie finds out she is pregnant.  She is 16 and about to do her GCSE's... HOW did that happen?  Maybe it was those few days last month when she forgot to take the pill... she took one late and thought it would be ok... or maybe was it because she was ill and on antibiotics for a week?  Rosie didn't know the pill can stop working of you take antibiotics.  Her mum is gonna go mad... The shame, the fear, she feels sick to her stomach.....

Maybe, the freedom of taking the pill could lead Rosie down the path of sex with more than just one person.. maybe she could end up with an STI, or get pregnant and not know who the father is.
What gets me with all of this, and it's a familiar story all over the UK, is that the communication between mothers and daughters is weak.  Mothers are not teaching their daughters what they need to know.  There is no communication, no passing on of advice.

Rather than try and throw a magic pill at every young girl in the hope of making the UK's teenage pregnancy rates look better, why are we not questioning WHY these young girls are having sex so young.  Why are we not looking at healing the relationships between mother and daughter?
Why is it that teenage girls have such low self esteem and think so little of themselves that they seek to have sex at such a young age?  Why are we not teaching young girls how to respect their bodies and themselves?  helping them to understand the changes and risks involved with sex and contraception?

No one really knows the long term effects the pill can have, or what it may do to a young body that is still forming.  I started taking the Pill at 13.  I was showing signs of PMDD but no-one knew that back then.  I also suffered from really bad acne and depression.  The pill was given to me to cure it all.. to make me better.  When I look back, I wonder if my mood swings at 13 were just perfectly normal.. extreme yes, but I have since found out I am sensitive to hormones, but what if taking the pill at 13 actually caused my PMDD.. what if it messed my system up for the rest of my life?

What I do know for sure is when I came off the pill aged 20 (that's 7 years of synthetic hormones and no ovulation) is that I felt completely different.  The pill had never stopped the mood swings, in fact, by the time I stopped taking it I was getting some pretty extreme episodes.  I became pregnant a few months after stopping the pill.  It was a planned pregnancy as I had just got married.  I experienced severe depression during my pregnancy and post natal depression afterwards.  PMDD came back with a vengence along with my periods and motherhood was very difficult.

My body didn't know what a natural cycle was.  It had only had 6-7 cycles before I got pregnant.  I truly believe that our natural cycles prepare us for being pregnant.  Without intervention, it is possible to become in tune with your menstrual cycle.  You lean how you are at different times of the month.. you can FEEL the changes.  Each cycle is a chance to learn something new about yourself.  It's an inner tool, that we simply throw away when we start taking the pill.

By encouraging young girls to take the pill as soon as they start their period, or for other ailments that could be helped by other methods, we are stealing our daughters ability to learn from their cycle.  We are taking away that inbuilt natural blessing of being a woman...

We need to heal the mother daughter relationship.  Many of the current generation of mothers have grown up on the pill, and don't ever question it.  If it was good for them, then it's good for their kids....  I urge you to think twice about ever putting this drug in your body, or allowing your daughter to.  There are other ways of preventing pregnancy, there are other ways of dealing with mood swings, acne and depression.

Here is a great link to a piece by Dr Erika Schwartz.  She has written a few books on hormones and the menstrual cycle, and I found her response to a worried mothers question a really good read.  I would recommend you take a look.

And as for the increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases and infections... or how the pharmaceutical companies make us believe in whatever will make the most profit for them...
well, those rants are for another day....

The Mind vs Medications

I am a believer in Quantum Physics.  I really enjoy learning about the concepts of the human mind and what it is capable of.  It started with The Secret, a book that many are familiar with nowadays, but my interest has gone further into trying to learn and grasp more of the theories, especially those related to healing.

I highly recommend the film 'What the bleep do we know?' as a great place to start with this huge topic.  You can watch the movie on You Tube for free by following this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT50SV3W5K0, but I highly recommend the rabbit hole edition of the DVD that has many many extra hours of interviews and explanations.

The theory, in very basic terms is that everything in this world is energy.  That includes ourselves and everything around us.  The question of 'What is reality?' is a biggie.  It can lead to a complete head f**k while trying to understand the concept, but I will try and explain how I see it in relation to how we can use our mind to heal ourselves instead of looking to outside influences, namely drugs and medications.  We need to look at the brain and it's capabilities.  It has been shown in experiments that the brain fires the same responses when seeing something in real life, or simply remembering the event.  So how do we perceive what is real and what is not?  If our memories create the same responses in the brain when remembering something, as it did when we first saw it, then we can see how it's easy to repeat the same patterns.  We become locked into a pattern of responses that then becomes our reality.  PMDD is like Groundhog day.  Every month we go through the same pattern.  Our body is reacting to the hormones that are triggered in our brain, and we respond accordingly due to a learned response to each feeling.

I believe our brains are like our on board organic computer.  It's organic because it can be grown and developed, unlike the computers of modern day, which are developed to a point, only to be out done year after year by new technology.  You can upgrade the system you have to some degree, but inevitably, we will seek a newer, more powerful model after a few years.  Technology advances so quickly, but imagine how that could work within a living organism.  Information in the brain can be processed as slowly as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec (about 268 miles/hr).

The brain generates electricity (or energy).  Every thought, feeling and bodily process starts as an electrical impulse in the brain.  We have centres in our brains that send out electrical signals and receptors that receive them.  While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power–or enough energy to power a light bulb. The programming in our brains starts as a baby.  The capacity for such emotions as joy, happiness, fear, and shyness are already developed at birth. The specific type of nurturing a child receives shapes how these emotions are developed.
By the time we realise we are suffering from PMDD, we have a years of programmed and learned responses to life.  We have either acquired these from the people around us or developed them ourselves as methods of coping and keeping safe.

If we are living with learned responses, it is possible that we can unlearn them.  If our brains continue to make the same connections over and over, we can surely teach it to make new connections and responses.

So, how does this apply to PMDD?  I realised that the patterns I was going through could be learned responses and reactions.  I have lived a life that has been full of stress, and at times, trauma.
I have created strong pathways in my brain, ways to cope with the hormonal changes in my body and mind.  For me, taking medications never seemed to help.  The mood swings and extreme thoughts and feelings would not leave me.  Sometimes, I would feel more disconnected from them, but the disconnection made me feel even more out of control.

Taking a pill and believing it will cure you is naive.  Work needs to be done within the mind.
Re training and re programming ourselves, whether alongside or without medication is essential.  I am not suggesting anyone gives up any medications they are on.  We have our own choices to make when it comes to how we treat our disorder and what is comfortable for us.  Some people feel better when they are taking a pill.  That's how the placebo effect works.  For me, taking a pill meant I was ill.  In my head, if I had to take a pill for the rest of my life, it means I am unwell.  That thought then permeates everything.  I am ill.  It reaffirms that thought, and that never made me feel better.

I am also not saying that by not taking any medication I all of a sudden feel well.  But I do feel more in control and stronger in the knowledge that I am not so ill that I have to take a plethora of tablets to make me function in the world. 

Sufferer's of PMDD know only too well how much this disorder affect's their perception of the world.  It's easy to see when you go from a rational, understanding person to someone who believes the whole world hates them, past issues and event's surface and our own place in the world is in question.  I knew that this was in my head.  I knew that it wasn't really me, or what I truly felt about the world, yet the changes in hormones, lack of serotonin and programmed responses led me to be in a vicious cycle.

We all know the saying 'turn that frown upside down' or 'think happy thoughts'.  This is really difficult for a sufferer to do when in the throes of a dysphoric episode, but there is proof that be being more positive and trying to break the usual patterns of coping can help to break free from the worst effects of the cycle.  Cognitive Behaviourial Therapy (CBT) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) are both ways of trying to re wire your thinking patterns.   

We can treat our bodily symptoms by eating well, getting enough sleep and exercise, but we cannot forget about looking after our minds.  If we continue to allow ourselves to react in the same way over and over, we will always see the same results.

Food for thought.  Can you change the way you react to your PMDD?  Can you create different reactions to the way you feel?  If PMDD brings on false thoughts that we take on to be real, does that make them real?  How do we create our own reality?  In no way am I suggesting that PMDD isn't real, and if you follow my blog you will know I am working very hard to get this disorder recognised, but I feel there is more each and everyone of us can do to help ourselves, just by fighting the false moods and tricking the body and mind out of them.

If we label ourselves as anything, we then reinforce it.  If we believe we are going to have a bad day, we probably will.  If we identify with being ill, we are more likely to be ill.  Just when we fake an illness to get the day off work, then sure enough, we get ill a few days later.

It is scientifically recognised that a smile, whether a real smile expressed at something that make us happy, or a fake smile, put on for whatever reason, creates the same responses in our brain.  Smiling and laughing releases our bodies feel good hormones, endorphins, but the body does not distinguish whether we are truly happy or not.  The endorphins are triggered regardless.  If this is the case, we DO have the ability to change how we react to our mood swings.


Stop believing you have no control.  It merely reinforces the belief.   Stop believing you are powerless, useless, unworthy, a lost cause... all these things are untrue.  Stop believing you are beyond help, or that nothing will ever help you.  Stop believing you will never get better.

Start believing you can have a calmer life.  Start believing you can change the way you feel.  You are in control.  You have the power to change, to get better, to heal.  Of course we will all have bad days.. EVERYONE on the planet has bad days, but we can try and stop them, reduce them, and give them less fuel.

I DO believe we can think ourselves well.  I do believe we can heal ourselves.  It's not an easy route, and for me, I have had to have the support of a counselor, family and friends, but I am living proof that the symptoms of PMDD can be lessened without the use of medications....

I will leave you with these thoughts, and a selection of quotes that re affirm what I am trying to say in this post.  For some, tablets, injections and surgery may be the right option.  They will feel better and healed by going down that route, but for some, like me, medication and surgery are not an option.  Maybe that's because you don't like taking meds, or you haven't found that anything has helped, or maybe it's just BECAUSE...  Never feel like you HAVE to take medication or be forced down a surgical route.  It is possible to manage PMDD without.  On the flipside, even ladies who ARE on medication and are following a surgical path can find some kind of benefit from thinking differently about themselves and the disorder.  No one is right, no one is wrong, its a personal choice, and one that no-one should ever judge you for.

The light of Integrity

"The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.
Think only on those things that are
in line with your principles
and can bear the full light of day.
The content of your character is your choice.
Day to day, what you choose,
what you think,
and what you do is who you become.
Your integrity is your destiny ...
it is the light that guides your way."  - Heraclitus, Greek poet, philosopher

A Better Me

The me I wish that I could be
Would never harm a soul,
Could never speak in angry tones,
Or have a selfish goal,
And no more wrong or harmful deeds
I'd ever want to do,
If this perfect ideal me
Could be a picture true.
The me I wish I could become
Will never really be,
But simply wanting such a thing
Will make a better me."- Hilda Sanderson

"As I see it, every day, you do one of two things:
build health or produce disease in yourself." - Adelle Davis

"The more severe the pain or illness, the more severe will be the necessary changes. These may involve breaking bad habits, or acquiring some new and better ones."- Peter McWilliams, Life 101

"A wish to be well is a part of becoming well."- Lucius Seneca

"Here's your protection for whatever comes: Find something to be happy about every day, and every hour if possible, moment-to-moment, even if only for a few minutes."- Greg Braden


"I find, by experience, that the mind and the body are more than married, for they are most intimately united; and when one suffers, the other sympathizes."- The Earl of Chesterfield

"No one can listen to your body for you... To grow and heal, you have to take responsibility for listening to it yourself."- Jon Kabat-Zinn

"Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon". -Denis Waitley

Quotes sourced from - http://www.healinggateway.com/thoughts.php
Brain Facts sourced from - http://www.nursingassistantcentral.com/blog/2008/100-fascinating-facts-you-never-knew-about-the-human-brain/
Smiling facts from - http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/benefits-of-smiling.htm
Images from Google images.