Protect yourself from damaging products

In the 1998 comedy “There’s Something About Mary,” Chris Elliot’s character, Woogie, breaks out in “love blisters” (hives) every time he encounters Mary (Cameron Diaz). But for most folks it’s much harder to predict what will trigger an unpleasant skin reaction, especially when it comes to encounters with personalhygieneproductsand makeup.

According to a new report in Jama Internal Medicine online, adverse reactions to personal care products are underreported, and the industry is under-regulated. Dr. Steve Xu, the study’s lead author, said that in Europe they’ve banned 1,000 chemicals from personal care products; in the U.S. only 10 are forbidden. The most common troublemakers

(we know about) are hair and skin care products — triggering rashes, hair loss and other dermatological problems.

Arecentfoodanddrug Administration statement illustrates this point: “As of November 15, 2016, the FDA had received 1,386 adverse event reports directly from consumers about WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner products … We also are investigating more than 21,000 complaints reported directly to Chaz Dean, Inc., and Guthy Renker, LLC …” The company hadn’t voluntarily informed the FDA, and the product is still being sold.

So how can you know if a personal care product is safe for you? Try an at-home patch test before using it. Apply and leave the product on the inside of your forearm for 24 hours. It’s not an overly sensitive area, so if the product triggers a reaction there, chances are you’re at risk for a true allergic reaction.

‘Venturing for veggies’

We could make this week’s nutritional tip “Venturing for More Veggies” sound like a pronouncement from “The Big Bang Theory’s” Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons): “Are you aware that on Mars, as on Earth, eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 40 percent? Well it caaan.”

Well, a highly effective strategy was recently uncovered by scientists at Stanford University. They figured out how to get students, teachers and staff at one of the undergrad dining halls to pile more veggies on their plates: Get Decadent.

For their study, they labeled vegetables at the self-serve food stations withwhat they called “decadent” names, such as Twisted Citrus Glazed Carrots. Guess what? The foods with the decadent labels were gobbled up.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.