Most traditional perfumes are created in a lab, using synthetic oils that replicate natural, botanical scents. A fragrance may be made up of dozens, sometimes over a hundred different chemicals – and according to a National Academy of Sciences study from a couple of decades ago; up to 95% of these fragrance chemicals are petrochemicals – derived from crude oil. Do you really want to apply that to your skin to be absorbed into your body?

In addition, unlike many synthetic scents, natural perfumes have no phthalates, compounds derived from alcohol that makes scents last longer but have also been linked to hormonal imbalance and reproductive disorders. In fact the Environmental Working Group in the USA and many natural health experts, me included, suggest limiting exposure to phthalates when possible.

This doesn’t mean you should stop wearing perfume. Quite the contrary; you should treat yourself to the essential oils of natural perfumes. Natural perfumes are made with essential oils extracted from flowers and fruit produced by small high quality growers.

Nature has provided us with an abundance of beautiful scents – jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, geranium, tea rose to name a few and all available as essential oils. Another option if you have the time and feel creative is to make your own natural perfume.

You’ll need a small dark glass bottle for storing your fragrance creation as sunlight will quickly kill the scent if you store it in clear glass.

Ingredients:

• Your favourite essential oil/s
• 2 1/2 oz of Vodka
• 2 tablespoons of Distilled Water

It will take a little experimentation to achieve the right potency to suit your tastes; so start out with a single essential oil for practice – perhaps 4-8 drops. The general process is:

Add the essential oil to the vodka, stirring slowly until the oil is fully mixed in; then let sit for 2 days. After this time, add the distilled water, slowly stirring it through; then let it sit another couple of days; longer for a more potent mix. Done!

Don’t forget to write down the essential oils and numbers of drops you use in each batch while refining your own natural perfume blend! Although our sense of smell is not as keen as other mammals, a delicious aroma wafting from our skins not only makes us feel more upbeat it is also a form of communication.

We can wear perfumes that convey our mood or our personality. Fragrances can enhance or even change our mindset so if you’re feeling powerful or want to feel powerful choose a bold, clean scent with a strong fruity note. If you want to feel romantic look for floral fragrances; if you’re feeling sexy look for woodsy flavours.

Whatever you are trying to communicate, you should sample several scents. Smell it, apply it and live with it for a while to see it it’s you. And because natural perfumes don’t last as long, reapply whenever the scent fades. As the fragrance interacts with your body, a new aroma emerges- one that is naturally your own.

Diesel fumes clog up the arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes warn researchers. Scientists have found that pollution from cars, lorries, vans and buses triggers a chain reaction in the blood that leads to potentially deadening hardening of the arteries.

The researchers say the findings reinforce earlier advice that people with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid staying outside for long periods when pollution levels are high. The link between pollution and heart disease and stroke has long been known but this new research is the first to explain how the fine diesel particles ‘conspire’ with artery clogging cholesterol to switch on the genes that cause blood vessel inflammation.

Dr Andrew Nel, who led the study at the University of California said, ‘When you add one plus one it normally totals two. But we found that adding diesel particles to cholesterol fat equals three. Their combination creates a dangerous synergy that wreaks cardiovascular havoc far beyond what’s caused by the diesel of cholesterol alone.’

The findings just published in the journal Genome Biology are based on lab studies of human tissues. The scientists compared diesel particles and the bad form of cholesterol in a test tube and added them with cells taken from the inner lining of human blood vessels. A few hours later, DNA tests of the human cells showed that the diesel particles were working in tandem with cholesterol to encourage inflammation of the blood vessels.

It may seem peculiar, but a sore throat is not necessarily the precursor to disaster and doom, or even a dose of the dreaded flu. This is because your body, however unhealthy your diet and lifestyle may be, maintains a stubborn determination to clear out toxins.

One way of doing this is to raise the temperature in the glands to burn up old rubbish – much like having a grand bonfire with all your garden junk. Another method is to expel toxins via mucous secretions. The upshot of such activity can be a sore, swollen throat with catarrhal congestion and a general feeling of concrete in the head – but this isn’t always a sign that you are going down with a cold it could be a sign that your body is trying to detox.

Although a sore throat can be a sign that your body is trying to detoxify itself if it persists for more than a few days consult your doctor. In the meantime plenty of water will help flush the system through and keep you energised. Regular doses of Vitamin C will help your immune system perform efficiently and prevent a clearout deteriorating into a serious cold or flu. Echinacea tincture can help lubricate the throat whilst delivering its immune boosting herbal effect to the body.

At the first sign of a sore throat, gargle with sage, an herb that has traditionally been used for throat infections, due to its antiseptic qualities. It can be used for mouth ulcers and inflammations, for the same reason. Sage also helps to regulate body temperature, keeping you cool whilst your body battles the bugs.