The headline for this blog post may surprise you coming from the manufacturer of Britain's most simple, natural sunscreen brand, Shade™ All-Natural Sunscreen, but it's important information you need if you are going to undertake to switch from a chemical to a natural formula. 

I'm writing this post now whilst wrapped up in a scarf and Norwegian cardigan after watching my daughter and friends swimming in the icy waters of Bantham Beach, just a few hours after reading our first scathing review of Shade™ on Amazon. 

Whilst thinking about all those families who have bought Shade™ and who may already be enjoying, or about to enjoy far warmer weather than I am, I have been considering the kind of response which would benefit not only the writer of the review, but anyone else who reads it. Obviously it's quite an alarming warning: the family in question having been considerably burnt are of course very upset, and wanted to put everyone else off purchasing the product, which is completely understandable if you put complete faith in something which is then perceived to let you down. On balance though, many, many more reviewers are exceedingly happy with the product, and for many it's been a 'godsend' enabling them to enjoy the sun when before they couldn't due to adverse reactions to other sunscreens. 

To save you the trouble of seeking out the review, I shall post it here:

Here is my response:

"Thank you for your review.

To date we have only had 3 people complain about burning when using Shade™ for their sun protection. Invariably it has transpired that they have not used Shade™ appropriately, for example, they have relied on it for long periods in the sun while constantly in a pool during the height of the day. We highly recommend people avoid exposure during the hours of 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest - Shade™ is not a sunblock and it's not waterproof, and shouldn't expect to be used as such.

Understanding Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 

SPF25 means that it will take up to 25 times longer to burn when you use it than you would if you were to not use anything in the same environmental conditions.

Many people think that by simply reapplying frequently their sun cream (whichever brand) will allow them to stay in the sun for longer and longer. This is not the case, and is a common misconception.

Also, SPF25 means that the protection is 96% - that also means that 4% of rays are still reaching the skin. Unlike many chemical sunscreens, Shade™ does not contain burn inhibitors which switch off the burning sensation. If you feel you are beginning burn, it's your body's warning to you that you have been exposed for too long, and the sensible approach is to cover up by wearing clothing or move out of the sun altogether. Applying more sunscreen only ensures you are still covered for the original 25x timeframe - it does not extend the amount of time you can stay in the sun - those 4% of rays are still doing their damage. It's important that you listen to your body and its signals - the danger of sunscreens that contain burn inhibitors is that the damage is still being done, but you just can't feel it - a bit like taking painkillers that mask the pain - ignoring the body's messages that there is a problem does not resolve the problem. 

What constitutes 'adequate coverage'?

Any sunscreen should be applied adequately - approximately one shot glass full of sunscreen per average adult body is considered appropriate for full coverage, a teaspoon's worth for a face - that seems a lot, but when you halve this amount and use less than required, you are actually square-rooting the SPF rendering an SPF25 for example into an SPF5; an SPF50 into SPF7! So shying away from the 'whiteness' which is the zinc oxide active ingredient layer, means you are minimising the efficacy of the product. Many people are not aware of this, and unfortunately are more concerned about how they look than how they are using their sunscreen, but this is crucial if you are going to rely heavily on your sunscreen to protect you.

Please also realise there are factors which can make skin more vulnerable to the sun's rays, such as certain medications, and other factors such as reflective surfaces, for example water, snow (intensifies rays by and extra 80%!), even grass, and pavements have reflective properties, and altitude intensifies exposure also.

As you will see from the other reviews, we have many customers who are more than happy with Shade™:  for many it's the only sunscreen they can use due to allergies to other sunscreen ingredients and has been tested to EU standards on human subjects in laboratory and real conditions. It is proven to work as a safe and effective broad spectrum SPF25 sunscreen when used appropriately. I am sorry in your case that you are not happy with the product. I have offered to discuss your experience with Shade™ in a private communication but have as yet not heard from you. Please do call me or give me permission to call you on the mobile number provided with your order. I would like to understand where things went awry for yourself and your family.

I sincerely hope this negative review will help people understand more about sunscreens, SPF, and their own responsibility to listen to their bodies and take greater precautions while exposing themselves to a very dangerous sun."

My Personal Tuppenceworth 

I don't know if you're like me, but when I undertake to do something that could be considered risky, I assess the risk and seek to find the most appropriate way of mitigating the risk, but above all, if I perceive the risk to be high and decide to do it anyway, then as far as I'm concerned I take full responsibility for the actions I am about to take. It's a bit like choosing to ride a bike on a road, you have to understand that what you are about to do is life threatening, and no precautions you take will ever be sure to take all the risk away. Should anything serious happen to you while cycling on a road, you have to take responsibility for having been there and placed yourself in danger. Yes, some other people may be involved in the accident, but you certainly would not have been hurt if you'd stayed at home on your sofa! You can't blame everyone else for something bad happening to you when you've chosen to take the risk.

The sun is the same. It's a known risk to your skin and ultimately your health. Staying out of it is the only way to be sure it won't burn you, and I have admittedly little compassion for people who allow themselves to get burnt, ignoring the warning signs, not understanding SPF and the way sunscreens work and their limitations. By the very fact you are stepping out into the sun with suncream on, you are acknowledging you are doing something you need to protect yourself from, and therefore you are tacitly accepting responsibility for your decision. 

If you've read this article and you don't agree with me, then please don't purchase Shade™ or any other natural mineral non-Nano sunscreen. Instead, choose a high factor chemical suncream with burn inhibitors. 

Here's hoping that whatever choices we make for ourselves and our families, they turn out to be the right ones!

Tania Wedin 

Founder and Managing Director 

Not the Norm Ltd 

Shade™ All-Natural Sunscreen is available to purchase on Amazon.co.uk or through us directly here.

A Spark in the Dark
On the face of it there is nothing reassuring about wildfires. As I write this, they are devastating the lands of Indonesia, destroying forests and countless species of wild animals, as well as driving people from their homes. Yet they leave behind an incredible substance renowned in history for its healing powers. This commonly known compound, charcoal, has been used by man and beast alike for possibly thousands of years. Charcoal is one of the most powerful antidotes known to man, and as grimy as it may appear, this very ordinary material can purify your system like no man-made medicine can.

Albeit a remnant of an incredibly destructive power, there is nothing remotely dangerous about charcoal. Quite the contrary, it is a life saver. Still today a charcoal drink is the go-to treatment in emergency rooms after a suspected overdose or poisoning. Centuries’ worth of evidence speaks of the many beneficial qualities of charcoal. It is natural, safe, non-toxic and relieves several ailments including drug overdose¹, poisoning¹¹, stomach disorders¹¹ and high blood cholesterol¹². One study carried out using rat models even suggests the ability of charcoal to increase the lifespan of mammals by 43%¹³.

Purposefully Eating Dirt?!
Charcoal may be as unappetizing as a substance can be, however, eating non-food materials such as charcoal and clay is a practice that can be observed throughout the world. The purpose of this seemingly unnatural behavior can actually be explained scientifically. Since ancient times, animals and humans have relied on charcoal to counteract the ill-effects of harmful materials that have been ingested, intentionally or otherwise. This is especially valid for wild animals and ancient peoples who had to depend upon limited food resources. The diet of charcoal-eating animals includes a variety of plants that contain a high amount of phenolic and other harmful compounds that interfere with their digestion. Studies have confirmed that ingested charcoal render these toxins harmless once inside their guts.

During one experiment, scientists found that feeding activated charcoal to goats increased their intake of juniper, a plant that contains a toxic terpenoid. Goats love to eat juniper but this plant toxin limits them from eating it. Researchers fed juniper to twenty goats over the course of ten days. Ten of these goats were given a daily dose of activated charcoal. At the end of the trial period, results indicated that those ten goats who were given the charcoal treatment could tolerate more juniper than the goats who did not receive the treatment¹⁷.

Natural Instincts
Animals knew the medicinal properties of charcoal before man and many species of wild beast are known to eat charcoal resulting from bonfires or lightning strikes¹. Many scientific studies exist to confirm these observations, the most quoted case of this phenomenon is of the Red Colobus monkeys on  Zanzibar Island in Africa², which is the only primate other than humans that is reported to demonstrate this  behaviour. However, many other animal species dwelling in natural habitats, including deer, wild ponies, camels¹ and Okapis³ have been known to eat charcoal. Many domestic animals and birds such as dogs, cats, horses and chicken are also known to eat charcoal at times.

Age Old Wisdom
Our prehistoric ancestors have also been discovered to follow this unusual practice of eating charcoal. Fossilized excretions of the Neanderthals have been found to carry traces of ingested charcoal, and there is evidence to believe that Native American Indians used ground charcoal mixed with water as a remedy for digestive disorders¹. Aborigines were reported to use charcoal powder to heal their wounds¹⁵. The first recorded history of consumption of charcoal for medicinal uses dates back as far as 1500 BC⁴. Egyptian papyri reveal the use of charcoal to treat decaying wounds and intestinal disorders⁴. Records of Hippocrates and Pliny in 400 BC also provide information on the use of charcoal to treat a variety of diseases including epilepsy and anthrax. These accounts - both anecdotal and otherwise - sparked an interest in the medicinal properties of charcoal amongst the modern scientific community⁴.

They Bet their Lives on It!
Determined to prove the antidotal power of charcoal, two French scientists did just that! One is M.  Bertrand, a French chemist who in early 1813, swallowed charcoal along with Arsenic trioxide - a deadly poison. So strong was his faith in the detoxification power of charcoal that he believed charcoal would help him survive the lethal effects of poison. And survive he did⁷.

The second scientist was one Pierre Fleurus Touery, again French, who performed as daring a  demonstration before the French Academy of Medicine in 1852. He gulped down an equally lethal poison, strychnine mixed with charcoal. Despite the fact that he swallowed an amount ten times higher than the lethal dose, he survived the stunt unscathed⁷.

However, it took almost another decade for charcoal to be accepted widely by the medical practitioners as a ‘universal antidote”⁶. A review published in the Journal of Paediatrics in 1963 named ‘The black bottle’ by Holt et al owns the credit for that⁹. Since then the reputation of charcoal as a remedy for toxin ingestion has been spreading like wildfire – excuse the pun!

Charcoal, a Block of Black Magic
Being chemically inert, the therapeutic capacity of charcoal solely depends upon its ability to physically trap other substances. Due to its elemental nature, charcoal can bind to other compounds including various toxins, organic materials, gases, and even microorganisms.

The Science Behind the Magic
A piece of charcoal may look and feel solid in your hands. Yet it posesses a labyrinth of microscopic pores and tunnels that are invisible to the naked eye. When a piece of carbon-rich material - usually wood - is burnt at a temperature as high as 1000 degrees Celsius, all of its components except carbon turn into vapour. The high pressure building-up inside the solid material drives these vapours out, leaving behind a carbon skeleton that is highly porous. Once within our body, charcoal binds with toxin particles forming a stable toxin-charcoal complex. This complex is larger than the microscopic channels in the gut walls through which the free toxin particles would easily pass. Therefore the absorption of toxins through gut membranes is restricted. Since the foreign particles are safely concealed within the pores of the charcoal structure, they do not get a chance to harm our tissues. This in turn prevents enzymes reacting upon the toxins thus eliminating the risk of poisons being metabolised and harming the liver tissues.

The following illustration will help you understand this better. Since our bodies cannot absorb nor break down charcoal, it is then excreted through our stools along with the toxins they are carrying⁵. As a result, the poisons are safely driven out of our systems before they get a chance to harm us. The porous nature of the charcoal structure increases the surface area available for
adsorption thereby enhancing the rate and capacity of detoxification by many folds. A piece of charcoal can adsorb up to two hundred times its own weight¹ in toxic and pathogenic material! Charcoal acts as a powerful oxidising agent as well. It contains a large amount of oxygen within the microscopic holes of the carbon structure¹⁴.

These oxygen molecules react with most foreign materials oxidising and converting them into harmless matter. This property is particularly useful in nullifying toxins found in our gut.

Antimicrobial properties of charcoal are well known as well. Charcoal can arrest and suppress disease-causing bacteria, fungi and viruses. While the widest use of charcoal as an antimicrobial is in water purification, we can safely assume that it will do the same thing inside our systems.

Artificially 'Activated' (Medicinal) versus Naturally 'Active' (or Potentised)
Natural charcoal remaining after the forest fires was what healed ancient men and animals. Looking back at the evidence piled up throughout the centuries, one can hardly doubt its effectiveness. The modern  man however, driven by the desire to make everything better and fast, has found ways to “activate” a substance already active. “Activated” charcoal is produced by treating charcoal with steam, hot air or chemicals. This treatment eats away the carbon structure, increasing the number of pores in the process. This results in a greater surface area for adsorption. The more pores there are the more
activated the charcoal is. Accordingly we can now find activated and superactivated charcoal on the market.

Super Powers Turned Bad
These “activated’ and “superactivated” charcoals claim to have such super adsorptive powers that they can rapidly trap greater amounts of materials. This claim is true. These greedier versions of benign ‘natural’ charcoal can arrest more toxins in lesser time. But there is a catch. Adsorptive action of this charcoal is non-selective; meaning that it cannot tell apart a vitamin molecule from a toxin. Therefore they will remove not only toxins but most of the essential nutrients such as minerals and vitamins as well. They will also damage those friendly microbes in our gut who help us with digestion and disease control. You can thank their so-called “super power” for that!

Natural is Best
Of course this doesn’t mean that you have to hunt down pieces of natural charcoal after a wildfire. Now you can find a purer form of naturally active charcoal in a more appealing package. Toxin Buster™ charcoal capsules contain pure hardwood charcoal which is produced in a more methodical manner and which has been potentised using a special process unique to our supplier. They are gentler than the commercial “activated” charcoal and safer for long term, daily use. This naturally active charcoal works at a more natural pace with the body, thus supporting and not supressing your immune system. You can use it daily without experiencing any short or long term side effects.

Choose pure natural hardwood charcoal to detox safely, gently, daily.

For an Introductory Discount on Toxin Buster™ Enter Code FB1211TBP

© Not the Norm Ltd 2013

Resources
1. Engel, Cindy. Wild health: lessons in natural wellness from the animal kingdom. Download iTunes eBook, 2003, pp 71-72 (Retrieved from:
HTTP://BOOKS.GOOGLE.LK/BOOKS?ID=8FWQLH2A2CKC&PRINTSEC=FRONTCOVER#V=ONEP
AGE&Q&F=FALSE accessed on 22.10. 2013)
2. Struhsaker, Thomas T., David O. Cooney, and Kirstin S. Siex. "Charcoal consumption by Zanzibar red colobus monkeys: its function and its ecological and demographic consequences." International Journal of Primatology 18.1 (1997): 61-72.
3. HTTP://MUSEUMVICTORIA.COM.AU/MELBOURNEMUSEUM/DISCOVERYCENTRE/WILD/BIOGEOG
RAPHIC-REGIONS/AFROTROPIC/OKAPI/ 30/9/2013
4. Dinsley, John. CharcoalRemedies. com: the Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal and Its Applications. CharcoalRemedies.com, 2005.
5. Irwin, Richard S., and James M. Rippe, eds. Irwin and Rippe's intensive care medicine. Wolters Kluwer Health, 2008.
6. Yatzidis, Hippocrates. "Activated charcoal rediscovered." British medical journal 4.5831 (1972): 51.
7. Lapus, Robert Michael. "Activated charcoal for pediatric poisonings: the universal antidote?." Current opinion in pediatrics 19.2 (2007): 216-222.
8. Altman, Lawrence K. Who goes first?: The story of self-experimentation in medicine. University of California Pr, 1987, Pp 97-98.
9. Holt Jr, Emmett, and Peter H. Holz. "The black bottle: A consideration of the role of charcoal in the treatment of poisoning in children." The Journal of pediatrics 63.2 (1963): 306-314.
10. Historical production and use of carbon materials. http://www.caer.uky.edu/carbon/history/carbonhistory.shtml. [Accessed 16 November 2013]
11. Lucas, G. H. W., and V. E. Henderson. "The value of medicinal charcoal (Carbo Medicinalis CF) in medicine." Canadian Medical Association Journal 29.1 (1933): 22.
12. Neuvonen, P. J., et al. "Activated charcoal in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia: dose-response relationships and comparison with cholestyramine." European journal of clinical pharmacology 37.3 (1989): 225-230.
13. Frolkis, V. V., et al. "Effect of enterosorption on animal lifespan." Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes and Biotechnology 17.3 (1989): 341-351.
14. Bird, J. "" Vegetable Charcoal: Its Medicinal and Economic Properties, with Practical Remarks on Its Use in Chronic Affections of the Stomach andBowels." John Churchill. London (1857).
15. Williams, Cheryll. Medicinal Plants in Australia Volume 4: An Antipodean Apothecary. Rosenberg Publishing, 2013.
16. Bisson, Matthew G., Cody B. Scott, and Charles A. Taylor Jr. "Activated charcoal and experience affect intake of juniper by goats." Journal of Range Management (2001): 274-278.

Natural charcoal has many beneficial properties not least of which is its capability to adsorb over 4,000 different toxins and remove these from the body.

Natural charcoal is made by baking wood in a process which drives off all of the oxygen and most of the nutrients contained in the sap. Once burnt and in its almost pure carbon form, natural charcoal is very oxygen hungry and re-adsorbs huge amounts of oxygen once exposed again to the air.

There are hundreds of reasons why eating charcoal (or swallowing the capsules) is so good for you, here are just a few:

1. Charcoal is made up of a vast number of pores and crevices, so much so that a 1cm cube would fold out to cover a tennis court! This makes it highly adsorbent and means that it can bind a wide range of toxic substances within its structure removing them from living systems. This binding capability is brought about by van de Waal forces (electro-magnetic forces on the surface of the charcoal) and in producing our specialist charcoal Toxin Buster, we have developed a method of enhancing these forces. This method is rather akin to potentising developed by Hahnemann in his explorations of homeopathy and it renders our Toxin Buster charcoal significantly more adsorbtive than other natural charcoals on the market.

2. At this juncture it is worth mentioning that this is nothing like the method used to produce activated charcoal which is usually made up of coconut shells cooked at extremely high temperatures and then acid washed to produce a very strong filter material. In our opinion this activated charcoal should not be used in mammalian systems over a longish period since it is thought to compete with nutrients at the cell wall.

3. Made from very high quality hardwood (as opposed to coconut shells) our Toxin Buster charcoal is made from one of the hardest woods available in the world. As such, it contains a high proportion of the molecule C60 (Buckiminster fullerene, or 'Buckyball') which is the carbon basis of all life on earth and which molecule is the precursor of all the fullerenes.

In fact, the wood that we use to produce our potentised Toxin Buster natural charcoal comes from an absolutely pristine source that has never come into contact with any man-made chemicals. The source we use is of paramount importance since the wood comes from a renewable crop of substantial density with very deep roots. The importance of the deep roots is that these draw up into the bio-mass a number of trace elements which are vital to mammalian health. These infinitesimally small quantities of essential mineral supplements remain in our charcoal after it has been processed and give to Toxin Buster an added "kicker" which makes it unique.

As you probably know, much of the world's surface has been over-farmed and had NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash (Potassium)) chemicals added to it over a longish period to enable frequent cropping. This frequent cropping has leached many of the trace elements, required for full good health, from the soil and this is something which the use of our unique charcoal Toxin Buster helps replace.

Defined by the EC as a feed additive, Toxin Buster has of itself no medicinal properties. It does not facilitate any chemical reaction, nor does it take part in any chemical reaction. As a consequence of this, the EC has ruled that our charcoal is a feed additive and as such is highly recommended in situations where a build up of toxins has taken place.

Hardwood charcoal, because it is denser than softwood charcoal, is capable of adsorbing more oxygen. This gives it a marginally higher pH than the softwood charcoal and in highly acidic situations this function is extremely valuable. A great many unfortunate and often ill-defined conditions which are presently treated by pharmaceuticals can respond to a rebalancing of the pH of the system since most of these conditions are at base brought about by over-acidification.

Natural potentised charcoal has been used for thousands of years by our species as an antidote to poison and as a method of calming and improving digestion. Increasingly used in a wide variety of products, our charcoal is the best and safest method/substance you can use to help maintain good health.

For an introductory discount on Toxin Buster 100 or 500 count capsules, use discount code BURNTWOODBLOG15 at checkout today.

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