Vitamin C is one of those vitamins that our bodies just can’t get enough of. Not only does Vitamin C boost our health and wellness, but it’s packed with antioxidants, and helps fights against free radicals in our skin that cause damage while simultaneously helping repair the body internally and externally. A lot of people know Vitamin C as an ascorbic acid that helps fight the common cold. It also revitalizes the skin through rejuvenation and collagen all while supporting a healthy immune system, and digestion. Adding Vitamin C into your daily routine whether through dietary supplements, increasing your plant-based food intake, or even through the use of vitamin-infused skincare can provide a wide range of benefits like protecting your skin from harmful pollution, improving hydration, and helping prevent disease. With so many vitamin C products on the market here’s a Top 10 list of vitamin C products we can’t get enough of this year that will give you that extra boost.

1. BOTANIKA LIFE – Vitamin C + Zinc Spray 

This product boosts your immune system and banishes those cold and flu germs. Botanika’s Vitamin C + Zinc Spray uses the same nanotechnology used in their CBD Sprays. This vitamin spray is the perfect addition to your daily dose of CBD, which is said to help reduce anxiety, nausea, cancer, anti-inflammation, and promote sleep.

2. SOS HEALTH – Zinc + C vitamin Oral Spray

SOS Health’s Zinc + C vitamin oral spray delivers vitamins through your mouth mucosa directly into the bloodstream, unlike capsules or tablets. Zinc and Vitamin C work to contribute to your immune system’s normal functioning, while zinc is needed for healthy cell division and protein synthesis.

3. VITA MIST – C + Zinc

Since humans are unable to synthesize Vitamin C endogenously (produced from within the organism/the human body), tis supplement helps ensure that you maintain the right level of Vitamin C in your system.

4. Skinceuticals C- Vitamin C and E Serum

This serum by SkinCeuticals  has both Vitamin C and E which helps neutralize damage to the skin. This serum has long-lasting benefits that keep working for up to 72 hours. Its anti-aging properties also improve the appearances of wrinkles.

5. Dennis Gross Skincare- C + Collagen Perfect Skin Set & Refresh Mist

Bring your skin back to life with Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare C + Collagen Mist Perfect Skin Set & Refresh Mist. Powered by antioxidants, this face mist spray has a triple action formula that protects, hydrates and refreshes your skin to deliver a healthier complexion. The Vitamin C helps penetrate deep into the skin and prevents hyperpigmentation,  and brightens your complexion.

6. Beauty Rx by Dr. Schultz- Triple C Serum

With antioxidants and three forms of Vitamin C, this luxurious serum fights against free radical aggressors to help visibly reduce the signs of skin aging. It’s also packed with humectants that hydrate while the serum delivers Vitamin C under your skin for a softer, brighter and more youthful appearance.

7. Sunday Riley- Rapid Flash Brightening Serum

This highly-potent, fast-absorbing serum infused with 15 percent THD ascorbate (Vitamin C) fights the look of dullness, dark spots, and discolorations, while instantly increasing brightness, radiance, and luminosity.

8. The Body Shop – Vitamin C Energizing Face Mist

Instantly refresh your skin and boost radiance with the Vitamin C Energizing Face Mist! This mist is perfect for enhancing dull complexions and on- the-go hydration. The Vitamin C rich camu – sourced from the Amazonian rainforest, and aloe vera found in this product refreshes dull, tired, grumpy skin by enhancing its natural radiance.

9. mykind Organics- Vitamin C Organic Spray

mykind Organics Vitamin C is a whole food, Vitamin C formula that’s both Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified — all in an easy-to-use, great-tasting cherry-tangerine spray. This spray is made from real organic whole foods like Amla berry. mykind Organics Vitamin C promotes skin and tissue health, as well as immune system health.

10. Serumtologie- Anti Aging Vitamin Serum

Unlike similar skin products, Serumtologie contains highly-concentrated Vitamin C in their serums which help fight anti-aging. It is also is 100% vegan, features many natural and organic ingredients, and is ideal for sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Celebs they’re just like us with their penchant for snacking. But unlike us they don’t have the luxury of completely letting themselves go so they need to be smart with their snack choices. So, for them it’s about finding the balance between tasty but not totally unhealthy, because with their busy schedules they need something to keep them going, and not crashing.

Pop punk queen, Avril Lavigne who’s currently working on her latest studio album recently shared her snacking secret. Considering how this star manages to stay forever youthful, and in shape like when she first debuted we were all ears. Her go to snack was none other than the line of snacks Slim Secrets. With summer and the desire to stay fit we were instantly won over once we heard the word Slim in the Slim Secrets snack line’s name.

The Slim Secrets line is the creation of wellness coach, mother of three and daughter of a doctor, Sharon Thurin. Sharon goal with Slim Secrets was to create convenient, delicious and nutritionally balanced snacks to help people nourish their lives and pursue a healthy and active lifestyle. The company’s philosophy isn’t about extreme dieting but finding healthier ways to have it all, which is an idea that everyone can get behind and aim to maintain in their daily lives. So, whether your goal is weight loss, health, fitness or simply staying satisfied between meals, Slim Secrets has something for you including gluten free, high protein, and low carb options as well.

Selena Gomez has finally opened up about the real reason she was forced to take a break from the limelight.

In a recent interview with “Billboard” magazine Gomez discussed her struggles with lupus for the first time. While reports that Gomez was battling the autoimmune disease first broke nearly two years ago, the singer never addressed the claims and her reps wouldn’t confirm or deny any health problems.

Now, after years of speculation –and several reports that she may be dealing with drug and alcohol abuse– the 23-year-old has decided to set the record straight.

“I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke,” Gomez said in the interview, referring to a period in late 2013 and early 2014 when the singer suddenly canceled the Asian and Australian leg of her Stars Dance tour.

The cancellation prompted rumors that she was dealing with addiction and soon after reports started coming in saying Gomez had entered rehab. Her rep at the time confirmed that the singer sought treatment at Dawn at The Meadows recovery facility in Wickenburg, Ariz., for “emotional issues” and “partying,” but specified she wasn’t seeking treatment for substance abuse.

So while Gomez did stay in rehab for two weeks in February 2014, at some point she apparently also underwent chemotherapy to treat her lupus.

“I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re assholes.’ I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again,” she told Billboard.

The Lupus Foundation of America describes lupus as “a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.”

There is no cure for lupus though patients often go through periods of remission followed by flare ups. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chemotherapy usually isn’t the first course of treatment unless diagnosis is severe. Strokes are also one of the more rare symptoms of lupus so for Gomez to have been told she was at risk is pretty serious. Without proper treatment lupus can be life threatening.

While the singer didn’t elaborate on the current status of her health, she did open up to Us Weekly about her mental health.

“This was the first year I ever dealt with anyone talking about my body,” Gomez told the magazine. “I’d land at the airport and people would yell out, ‘You’re fat!’ It was awful. I’ve been working in therapy. Even if I did gain weight, I’m fine.”

Gomez also touched on her body image issues again in the Billboard interview.

“I was in a bikini and got publicly ripped for being overweight,” Gomez said. “I believed some of the words they were saying. When somebody else has your self-esteem in their hands …”

Gomez says she put some of that negativity to good use, revealing that the comments from body-shamers inspired her to pose nude on the cover of new album “Revival.” She further explained that she’s been channeling her frustrations and anger into the music, and credits her critics as one of the driving forces for the album.

“I’m so f–king nice to everybody, and everyone is so vile to me. I’ve been working since I was 7. I’ve been a UNICEF ambassador since I was 17. It’s so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story,” Gomez said. “The hate motivated me.”

The full “Billboard” cover story will be released Oct. 8.

April showers bring May flowers, but what many people don’t know is that May is also mental health awareness month. Even now mental health is still sometimes stigmatized or seen as something that has to be hidden. Yet, mental illness affects 1 in 5 Americans a year, making it more and more important that people are educated about it, and are aware on how to get help.

In honor of mental health awareness month Philosophy’s Hope & Grace Initiative partnered up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to launch the nationwide StigmaFree campaign. The campaign aims to do away with the stereotypes on mental illness. The fact is mental illness does not discriminate, and it can affect anyone at any point in their lives. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among  youths 15-24 and the second for adults aged 25-34, making the StigmaFree campaign’s aims even more significant among the younger generation.

Host, Morgan Stewart, Catt Sadler, Natasha Bedingfield, EJ Johnson, Johnny Dubrel, Brendan Fitzpatrick, Rachel McCord, Ashley Keating, and Colin Egglesfield are just some of the stars joining the StigmaFree campaign. Many of them came together on May 28th for a special lunch in honor of the campaign in hopes of bringing attention and much needed support to the cause. Its important people know that mental illness is not a death a death sentence and organizations like NAMI exist solely to bring awareness and help those who need it.

Photography by Eric Charbaneou (A/P)

Two national surveys, released last week by the American Chronic Pain Association, showed significant differences between public perceptions of fibromyalgia and the realities of living with the condition.

The ACPA partnered with Forest Laboratories Inc. to try to compare the attitudes of people living with fibromyalgia with those of the general public.  The results showed that fibromyalgia patients inaccurately believe the outside world views them negatively. Of the people surveyed, 41 percent said they think people with fibromyalgia are courageous. Only 17 percent of the fibromyalgia patients believed society views them in such a way.

“Imagine, for some people living with fibromyalgia, having to deal with a persistent pain condition while feeling isolated from society,” said the founder and executive director of ACPA, Penney Cowan who lives fibromyalgia herself. “These survey results show that some people with fibromyalgia have misperceptions about how society views them, and our hope is that they learn about these findings and feel empowered to speak openly about their experiences with this condition.”

Fibromyalgia is a common musculoskeletal disorder in which people experience long-term, widespread pain throughout the body. The condition is also linked to fatigue; sleep disturbances, headaches, depression, and anxiety. The American College of Rheumatology estimates that 3 to 6 million Americans have fibromyalgia and it’s the second most common musculoskeletal disorder. The exact cause of the condition is still unknown, but some researchers believe it might be caused by a miscommunication between the brain and the nerves. For some reason the brain overreacts to normal stimuli and perceives things that most people wouldn’t even notice as pain. MRI’s have shown that the areas in the brain that are responsible for pain react differently in fibromyalgia patients.

The lack of conclusive information about fibromyalgia within the medical community makes it difficult for the general population to understand the condition. The surveys, known as “Two Takes on Fibro: Public Perceptions and Private Realities,” also showed that while 92 percent of people of have heard of fibromyalgia, most do not understand the everyday challenges the condition poses. Many people did not know that simple tasks such as driving, doing chores, and getting dressed for the day are extremely painful for fibro patients.  So, while the general population viewed those living with fibromyalgia positively, they did not understand how difficult life could be with the illness.

Overall, the studies reinforced what many with fibromyalgia already knew, people are sympathetic, but there is still a lot more to learn. Cowen said the lack of understanding from the general public could keep people dealing with symptoms from seeking treatment. Also the lack of knowledge about fibromyalgia may contribute to why patients feel they are seen negatively. Those who struggle with fibromyalgia sometimes assume that ignorance means people are looking at them negatively.

Researchers questioned 1,215 men and women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 1,022 adults from the general population for the surveys. The survey of people with fibromyalgia consisted of 58 questions and the general population survey included 37 questions.

Some experts in the field say assumptions and perception should be the big take away from the surveys. Writer, speaker, and fibromyalgia patient, Sue Ingebretson, said negative assumptions and feelings run rampant within the fibromyalgia community. Her book, FibroWHYalgia discusses her struggles with fibro and how she was able to go from being completely disabled to having almost no symptoms. Since her journey, Ingebretson has dedicated her life to counseling others who deal with chronic pain and helping them manage their symptoms.

She says most people with fibro engage in negative self-talk and because they look at themselves negatively, they assume others do as well.  Negative perceptions about oneself can often make the condition worse. People with low self-esteem often do not bother exercising, changing their diets, or seeking counseling, all of which are known to reduce fibro symptoms.

“I wouldn’t be here without having to crawl through the chaos, that I really had created,” Ingebretson said. “I love talking about that because it’s not about blame and people who are really sick have a hard time seeing the difference. They think that going over your life and making changes is about pointing out blame or looking at failure. You can’t change anyone, you can only change yourself and you can only change yourself by looking at what you’ve done and is it working? Or do you need to do something else?”

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Living With Pain: Brianne Levine’s story

Celebrities gathered at the K1 Speed Indoor Racing facility Saturday for a day full of snacks, racing, and awareness.

Dorian Gregory, Steve-O, Verne Troyer, and Kyle Massey were just a few of the big names that attended the Celebrity Go Kart Tournament benefiting the American Diabetes Association.

The event, hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Gary Sturgis from Tyler Perry’s Diary of A Mad Black Woman, was a celebration of family fitness and fun. Celebrities, nonprofit organizations, and everyday folks joined forces to give back to their communities. The race consisted of 16 celebrity led teams competing against each other for cash prizes. Each team consisted of a celebrity team captain and a handful of children, teens, and volunteers. The winners used the cash prize to donate to the charity of their choice.

Other activities at the event included a silent auction, catered food and beverages, personal accounts about diabetes, and a musical performance by R&B duo Mona Lisa.

The personal accounts were the most touching parts of the day. People came up to the stage and talked about loved ones who have suffered from diabetes. Miss California International, Brittany Wagner, was especially open about her father who lost his sight and eventually died from complications with diabetes.

For the event coordinators, reaching out to people and teaching them how to deal with diabetes was the most important part.

“It is really important that we teach the children that diabetes, or any other disease for that matter, does not have to be unmanageable,” said event organizers Stacy Lyles and Askari Ali. “The most common variant of Diabetes (Type 2 variant) is preventable by implementing good eating habits and regular physical activity in kids, so they can grow up healthy and strong.”

Various other nonprofit organizations and health facilities showed their support and involvement with the tournament by joining in on the racing activities. The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, St. Jude’s Research Center, City of Hope Centers, and The Complete Athlete Foundation for Kids were among the charities that participated in the event.

About the American Diabetes Association
“The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading nonprofit charity providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. The ADA is heavily committed to fighting the deadly consequences of diabetes and helping those affected by this disease. The ADA funds research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes and all its variants, delivers services to hundreds of communities, provides information for both patients and health care professionals, and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.”

It was Mother’s Day and Brianne Levine could not manage to get out of bed. She was achy all over, had sharp, burning pain in her joints, and it hurt when people would grab her arm or bump into her. Things were just harder to do.

Levine struggles with normal activities on a regular basis and this Mother’s Day was especially difficult because she had been on her feet for long hours the day before. The pain she experiences might be normal for a grandmother or a cancer patient, but Levine is a master’s student at Cal State Fullerton and she does not have any terminal or infectious diseases. She has voluminous curly brown hair, a big smile, and she just barely turned 30.  She also has fibromyalgia.

“Sunday I could barely get out of bed and luckily my mom didn’t feel like doing anything for mother’s day because she’s disabled too so she was perfectly happy to have a lazy day and we all just stayed in our pajamas,” Levine said.

Fibromyalgia is a common musculoskeletal disorder in which people experience long-term, widespread pain throughout the body. The condition is also linked to fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, depression, and anxiety. The American College of Rheumatology estimates that 3 to 6 million Americans have fibromyalgia and it’s the second most common musculoskeletal disorder. The exact cause of the condition is still unknown, but some researchers believe it might be caused by a miscommunication between the brain and the nerves. For some reason the brain overreacts to normal stimuli and perceives things that most people wouldn’t even notice as pain. MRI’s have shown that the areas in the brain that are responsible for pain react differently in fibromyalgia patients.

Fibromyalgia usually occurs in women between 20-50 years old. The majority of patients are diagnosed in their mid-thirties or early forties.  Levine’s symptoms began when she was only 19-years-old. She says she had a headache that lasted for a year.

“I finally went to the doctor and after all the testing; CAT scans, MRIs, blood tests, etc, my doctor told me that I was a ‘control freak’ and that I ‘needed to relax,’” Levine said.  “He then gave me a prescription for Valium. He said nothing about physical therapy, or yoga, or psychotherapy, or acupuncture, or meditation.  No other answers other than addictive downers.”

Levine’s doctor did not think she had fibromyalgia because up until a couple of years ago many doctors did not believe children or young adults could get fibromyalgia. In fact, many doctors did not believe the condition was a real pain disorder. They believed it was a mood disorder or some other type of psychological problem. Many young people have to deal with physicians who think they are faking their symptoms or are just stressed out.  Research has shown that it can take up to four years before a child or young adult gets a proper diagnosis.

Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer understands Levine’s struggle to get a proper diagnosis.  She is the director of the pediatric pain program at the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and she has done extensive research on juvenile pain.

“Usually kids who come see me have seen other physicians and have been through many procedures. For example, teens with fibromyalgia may have already been to rheumatologists–usually more than one–may have been to orthopedists, and a primary physician. So it’s sort of a bottom of the funnel in terms of pain problems,” Zeltzer said.

Luckily, Levine only had to wait two years to get her diagnosis. But identifying the problem is only the beginning of a long journey for most patients. Elizabeth Blache, 21, a friend of Levine’s, also has fibromyalgia. She says the lack of understanding was difficult to deal with.

“I was diagnosed when I was 12 so it’s kind of been a rollercoaster. People just thought I was lazy or unmotivated, or didn’t care, or that I was just making it up,” Blache said. “I was almost kind of embarrassed and didn’t want to tell anyone that I had it. Because in my experience people that I did tell, even like my friends and their parents, would be like ‘what is that I’ve never heard of that’ then they’d look it up and it would say oh it’s a psychological disorder.”

Even after she was diagnosed, Blache’s doctors did not believe her pain was real. She said she was put on three different antidepressants because doctors thought she was making it up.  At one point, she was hallucinating because of all the medication she was on.  After her experience, Blache decided to give up on medications altogether.

For Levine, the hardest part has been altering her life because of her condition. She got her bachelor’s degree in theater. Before her diagnosis she was planning on becoming a stage manager and working with theater sets, but the fibromyalgia would not allow her to stay in such a physical atmosphere.  Levine eventually made the decision to get her master’s in psychology and work on fibromyalgia research.

“It really affects everything I do everyday. It affects every decision. I think it affects me more now than it did at first because now I understand it better,” Levine said. “At first you don’t know what can affect you and what can’t. Then there’s a point where you realize that everything affects you and that every decision you make will have consequences.”

Levine said the cognitive disturbances are also very difficult.

“If I could just have a little more energy and a little less cognitive fogginess, I think that would make life a little easier. Because pain, I can deal with pain. Pain is pain,” Levine said. “The pain doesn’t bother me as much as the fatigue. With the energy you can overcome the pain, you can still live your life. But without that energy to do it and to say no to the pain, that part’s hard.”

If there had been more information available to Levine and Blache when they were diagnosed their experiences might have been different. Zeltzer says her research has shown a bit of a bright side to experiencing pain at a young age.

“In the brains of children, adolescents, and young adults, there’s still a lot of plasticity. There’s a lot of room for alteration and change, so in that sense with good therapy a lot of pain is much easier to treat in children and adolescents than in adults,” Zeltzer said.

The earlier people are given the coping mechanisms to deal with pain, the easier it is for them to overcome it. According to Zeltzer a big part of pain relief is retraining the brain to perceive pain differently and that is much easier to do at a young age. Zeltzer also said people should never assume that people with fibromyalgia are lazy or unmotivated.

“It’s interesting that a lot of people with chronic pain are really smart, creative, talented individuals and we think there’s something about the neural biology of a really smart, observant, creative brain that makes neural connections quickly,” Zeltzer said. “They sort of create pain or learn pain because the brain learns quickly. So what happens in smart people, their pain systems get turned on and it can become a widespread pain problem.”