All-natural lotion bar is lauded
By MINDY RUBENSTEIN
Published November 27, 2006


BROOKSVILLE - David Pardue's next step for his psoriasis was going to
be chemotherapy, which a doctor had recommended because the treatment
has been known to clear up the skin of cancer patients.

"I'd be scratching to the point of bleeding," said Pardue, pastor of
Christian Church in the Wildwood, north of Weeki Wachee.

Pardue had already tried ointments, UV radiation treatments and
other "weird chemicals." Then a friend recommended Trish
Springstead's products and treatment - a three-step process that
includes a lotion bar, a cream and shampoo.

"I reluctantly tried it," said Pardue, 55. "She immediately doused me
with everything."

Within 48 hours, the itching and scaling were gone, Pardue said.

"It's the only thing that has ever lasted with me," he said.

After several years of testing and development, Springstead received
a patent on her lotion bar in January.

She is quick to point out that her ingredients are all natural, and
that most other lotion and shampoo makers put harmful chemicals in
their products.

A registered nurse, Springstead owns Springstead Arts & Gifts in
Brooksville. She makes her MD Crafters & Cosmeceuticals products by
hand, using ingredients from places like India and Africa. She said
the name of her products soon will change to ESP Botaniceuticals. ESP
stands for Essential Skin Products.

"We're reaching a higher plane in skin care," she said.

Springstead is passionate about her products and their ability to
help people.

"It's all divine providence," said Springstead, 50, whose husband,
Richard, is a local orthopedic surgeon. "The lotion bar right now is
where I gotta strike."

Her ingredients include raw shea butter from Africa, mango butter,
raw illepe butter, German green chamomile and raw beeswax.

Many other products sold in stores have preservatives in them, she
said. Even organic products aren't always what they seem, she added,
because they only have to have one organic component to be
labeled "organic."

"It was sickening," she said of the research she has done on other
products.

Cathy Harding is a nurse practitioner studying for her doctorate in
nursing practice at the University of South Florida. She is a student
and a staff member in the university's College of Medicine. Part of
her research proposal looks at Springstead's skin-care products.

"A lot of the therapies we use with psoriasis can be toxic," Harding
said.

She said that "it's like a thousand-mile journey" getting the medical
community and the public to recognize the harmful ingredients in many
products. Springstead's patent helps.

"It'll legitimize her product," Harding said, not just in
complementary medicine, but also mainstream.

Springstead and Pardue said local doctors now prescribe the products
to their patients.

While Springstead's three-step process costs about $140 for a three-
month treatment, Pardue gets it for free because he was part of her
experiment when she was first starting out.

"She's very gracious for us," said Pardue, adding that his wife bakes
her cookies.

There are five people who were part of Springstead's 2003 experiment,
and they all receive the products for free.

"I just don't understand why the dermatologists around here don't get
her products and use it," Pardue said. "It's just amazing what it
does."

[Last modified November 26, 2006, 21:44:39]



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Comments on this article by Hal 11/27/06 02:10 PM
Robert - The products are available at mdcrafters.com
by Robert 11/27/06 09:31 AM
Where can I get these products. I need somethind new.