May Day – Cancer Awareness Month

Beltane, Garden, General Info, May Day 1 Response »

May 012010

May is Skin Cancer awareness month – check your skin!

Check your skin…If you can spot it, you can stop it.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States.

The three main types, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, are mainly caused by UV exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. However, skin cancer can form anywhere on the body even if it not exposed to the sun. All ethnicities and skin tones are at risk. A healthy and relaxed lifestyle is essential for most cancer and other conditions prevention, improve your lifestyle on the most natural way with hypnotherapy training.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer with more than 4 million cases diagnosed each year. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common with over 1 million cases each year. Melanoma is a less common form of skin cancer with approximately 87,000 new cases each year; however, it is more dangerous because it tends to grow and spread.

A change in your skin is the most common sign of skin cancer. This could be a new growth, a spot that doesn’t look like others on your body, a sore that doesn’t heal, or a change in a mole. The “ABCDE rule” can be used as a guide to look for some of the typical signs of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer (See Figure 1).

Not all skin cancers look the same, so discuss any skin change concerns you may have with your doctor.

Take these simple steps today to protect your skin:

Stay out of the sun as much as possible between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher
Put on sunscreen every 2 hours and after you swim or sweat
Cover up with long sleeves and a hat
Check your skin regularly for changes
Report any unusual moles or changes in your skin to your doctor

Bladder cancer is the 6th most common cancer among men globally and 10th overall¹. Bladder Cancer Awareness Month is a time for those affected by the disease to join together in an effort to increase awareness of the disease and fundraise for bladder cancer research and care. It’s also a time for patients to share their stories, educating and inspiring others affected by the disease.

Early detection of the disease saves lives and is an important theme that runs throughout Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. The disease is treatable, especially if detected in its early stages. The five-year survival rate for individuals with bladder cancer is 77% when compared to the population, however this jumps up to 96% if the tumour has not spread beyond the lining of the bladder wall². As it stands, around half of cases are diagnosed at this stage.

Bladder Cancer Awareness Month encourages us all to recognise and act on symptoms.

How to Get Involved in Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 has led to the cancellation of many traditional Bladder Cancer Awareness Month events, however this doesn’t mean you can’t participate. Bladder cancer is still a very real threat, affecting tens of thousands each year.

The good news is that skin cancer can be prevented, and it can almost always be cured when it’s found and treated early, check out more from these pdx model studies.

Here are some ways you can get involved:

Educate yourself

Explore and share useful online articles and resources.
Tune into an educational webinar, or watch one on-demand.

Share your story

Share your bladder cancer story. Engage with others who are sharing theirs.
Join an online bladder cancer community, e.g. BCAN Inspire platform, Smart Patients or The American Bladder Cancer Society’s Forum.

Help raise awareness

Encourage awareness of symptoms and early detection across your network.
Follow key organisations like BCAN and the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition on social media and join the conversation, sharing useful content using key hashtags like #BladderCancerAwarenessMonth and #BladderCancerAware.

Donate

Donate to bladder cancer research and care.

Increasing Awareness of the Disease

Education is an essential element of Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, both in relation to self-learning and in spreading awareness of the disease amongst friends and family members.

How Does Bladder Cancer Develop?

Bladder cancer develops when cells in the bladder begin to grow abnormally. It often starts in the lining of the bladder then grows deeper, penetrating the surrounding tissue and muscle. In advanced cases, the cancer may spread (or metastasize) to other parts of the body. Here you can find out more information about cro bio analytical research.

There are several different types of bladder cancer, the most common of which is Urothelial Carcinoma (UC). UC accounts for over 90% of all bladder cancers and begins in the bladder lining as either a papillary cancer growing out into the center of the bladder, or a flat tumour known as a carcinoma in situ (or CIS). CIS tumours are a particular concern as they’re more likely to spread, penetrating the muscle surrounding the bladder and other parts of the body.

Non-Invasive vs Invasive Bladder Cancer

The bladder wall has several layers from inside to out (see the diagram below):

Urothelium: the inner lining of the bladder
Lamina propria: a thin layer of connective tissue beneath the urothelium
Muscularis propria: a layer of muscle surrounding the bladder
Fatty connective tissue

Most bladder cancers start in the urothelium. If the disease affects only the urothelium, it is called superficial. Bladder cancers that spread into deeper layers are more difficult to treat. If bladder cancer spreads to the muscle layer it is called invasive.

Easter Eggs

General Info, Gifts, Herbs, Natural Home, Wildcrafting 2 Responses »

Mar 242010

For Schools To Open in Spring 2021, Teachers and Students Need to Mask Up

Americans are rightly concerned about the negative educational effects of the pandemic, especially for underserved student groups like low-income students of color and students with disabilities. All across the country, there is growing pressure to find ways to safely get as many children as possible back in schools. Despite our best efforts, online learning is just not as good as in-person, and the consequences of a full year online may be devastating. At the same time, the pandemic is spiking all across the country, threatening school reopening plans in many places.

One policy solution that will keep Covid-19 transmission rates low and help get students back into schools is mandated mask wearing, and state and district leaders who want a return to in-person teaching and learning might be mulling such a policy. There are certainly school districts that have been open throughout the fall without mask mandates, and we don’t yet know whether the most recent spike will affect district policies after the holidays. But we know that masks have become increasingly politicized and partisan, so we have been studying a range of data to understand the prevalence of, and support for, masks in schools. Based on our analyses, we think that mandated mask wearing is the most feasible and highest-leverage policy to get kids back in the classroom.

Back to school on a budget: 11 back-to-school savings tips

Cash-saving tips for back-to-school shopping without busting your budget.

Take Inventory—Consider what you’ll actually need before hitting the stores. Has your child grown out of their schools clothes or will they do so by September? Can you reuse last year’s school supplies or will you need to replace some items?
Set a Budget—Create a shopping list and stick to it, so you avoid impulse purchases. That fancy-schmancy Transformers’ Trapper Keeper can push your budget over the edge. Find out the best budget deals like this domtar cougar paper.
Use Coupons—There may be great deals, but coupons can make them even greater.
Shop Early—Stores are rolling out their best deals of the year early in the shopping season. As they say, the early bird gets the worm.
Go Mobile—Tap into your mobile phone with apps like “RedLaser,” which allows you to scan bar codes and find any cheaper prices online or at other retailers.
Check Social Media—Twitter and Facebook are great places to find deals offered to a brand’s social-media fan base. “Like” or “Follow” the merchant and keep an eye out for coupons and sales announcements.
Buy in Bulk—Take advantage of bulk offers on pens, crayons, paper and other items your kids will burn through over the course of the year. You might team up with other parents for bigger bulk purchases that will bring prices down even lower.
Spend more to save more— Just like fx trading online sometimes it costs money to save money. For example, retailers often offer a 15-percent savings pass for purchases of a set minimum amount.
Exchange—Gather your family and friends — along with their kid’s school wardrobes — for an exchange night of hand-me-downs that will save everyone money.
Wait until Labor Day—Labor Day is the traditional time for big sales on school clothing. You might take a chance and wait until then to buy items for a fall and winter wardrobe for your child.
Buy for yourself—Back-to-school sales aren’t just for kids. You might stock up on office supplies, jeans and other items that traditionally go on sale during this season.

First, the simple truth is that parent support for mandatory masking in schools is high and growing. For instance using the nationally representative USC Dornsife Understanding America Study (UAS), we found that parent support for mandatory face coverings in schools has increased substantially since the summer, from 45 percent of households when we first asked in July, to more than two-thirds in October (69 percent) (for more on our methodology, see here and here).

Perhaps the increase in support is due to the large number of students currently in schools with mask-wearing policies—our most recent wave of data (administered in November, 2020) found that 90 percent of students currently in attending school in person or hybrid were required to wear masks. If you’re experiencing masks in school and finding that the benefits outweigh the costs, you may be less resistant to the policy.

Second, despite popular perception, mandatory mask-wearing in schools is supported by a majority of all racial/ethnic, regional, and partisan groups. When we last asked in October, 82 percent of Democrats supported mask-wearing and 51 percent of Republicans. Mask-wearing was supported by the majority of Asian (85 percent), Black (82 percent), Hispanic (75 percent), and White (62 percent) families, as well as 58 percent of families living in rural areas and 79 percent of families in urban areas. While support was higher in some groups than others, the vast majority of families across all groups support mask-wearing policies.

What explains the variation across groups in support for masks? One factor may be experiences with Covid and, relatedly, beliefs about the risks of Covid to children. When we asked parents whether they agreed that children are at serious risks of Covid health effects, 89 percent of Black households agreed, compared to 70 percent of Asian households, 69 percent of Hispanic households, and only 44 percent of White households. Black households were also less likely than other groups to agree that school closures were more harmful to children than the risk of Covid. We found similar patterns across other demographic and regional groups, echoing these groups’ support for mandatory mask-wearing.

Third, we can’t open schools without teachers, and recent evidence suggests that teachers are overwhelmingly supportive of mask policies. A recent survey of a representative sample of Los Angeles-area teachers, for instance, found that mask wearing was the single most critical need for teachers to feel comfortable returning to the classroom—75 percent of teachers said it was critical (compared to just 36 percent who said a vaccine was critical, for instance). Teachers also supported smaller class sizes and spacing, which likely can be achieved given that not all students who are welcomed back to the classroom will actually return. In short, teachers are by-and-large comfortable returning to the classroom if they are protected with masks and adequate spacing.

Where does this leave state and school district leaders? On the one hand, our results suggest that parents are mostly on board with mandatory mask wearing in schools, particularly in urban and democratic areas. At the same time, urban districts tend to serve more low-income students of color whose parents may be more reticent to send them back to school. As urban districts do start to hatch their reopening plans, they should consider how they are going to address parents’ concerns and serve students whose parents opt for at-home or hybrid options.

Certainly, the win from Biden might begin to reshape the conversation around masks and in-person learning. At the very least, we can expect a Biden Department of Education might project a more favorable rhetoric around mask wearing in schools. And the new administration will likely take their role in Covid monitoring much more seriously, perhaps by creating a federally mandated national data tracking system to study the impact of school reopening on Covid transmission. But state and district leaders shouldn’t wait for the U.S. Department of Education to tell them what to do. They should work with health experts in their state to safely reopen their schools, with masking and appropriate distancing, as soon as possible.

Skin: The Living Barrier – Healthy tips

General Info, Skincare, Vegetable Oils No Responses »

Mar 042010

skin_micro_180 In Leonardo’s time, scientists of his caliber rarely considered the skin to be anything more than a decorative covering, necessitating removal to study the more fascinating parts underneath. Today, most of us know that our skin is our largest organ and serves as armor to protect all those precious inner parts. According to the skinhelpers.com, the skin doesn’t appear to be complex or interesting, and before the invention of the microscope in the 17th century we really didn’t understand how it works. This is how okinawa flat belly tonic works.

Now, we can see how intricate the skin actually is, along with the vital role it plays, this is the reason why Anoque has created a Natural Men’s Skincare brand, focused on helping men put their best face forward, have more confidence and take care of themselves and their skin, the epidermis (outer layer of skin) continually produces new cells to renew itself, while shedding outer cells as they die off and shed. You might not know that much of the dust in a room is actually tiny fragments of human skin. As much as thirty to forty thousand skin cells fall unseen from your body every minute. continually replaced by vibrant new cells rising to the surface. We might call this renewal system your “skinecosystem”. Hah. Say that 10 times real fast. A Brazilian wax is a type of bikini wax where hair is removed from the pubic area except for one small area. A traditional Brazilian wax is where all hair is removed. Other definitions exist so once you’ve decided what you want, make sure you make it clear to the salon. The practice originated in Brazil where women first began wearing very revealing swimsuits such as thongs.

And if that’s what you want to wear on the beach, you already have a good reason for getting this type of bikini wax. Another is avoiding the hassle and side effects of frequent shaving, such as razor-burn and itching. A Brazilian waxing blog will give you a smooth appearance for four to six weeks whereas shaving usually needs to be repeated every few days for a similar result. Need some new shaving products?

Reasons for not getting a Brazilian wax are pain and, if you’re a sensitive soul, embarrassment. Basically, you’ll be naked from the waste down for 15 to 30 minutes in the company of someone you’ve just met. Reports of pain levels vary. Some women say it’s not that bad while others claim its agony. So I suppose it depends on your pain threshold. The pubic area is a very sensitive part of the body, so somewhere in between is probably about right. All women agree it’s not comfortable. The up side is that the pain diminishes with every treatment as hair re-growth is weakened. Read more about pelvic floor strong.

Another disadvantage of Brazilian waxing is your skin may react badly to the hot wax, you might want to opt for applying skincare fridge in daily bases. Beyond that, the cons are the same as those associated with other methods of pubic hair removal. For example, as hair grows back, itching and ingrown hairs are common problems. Where any kind bikini wax beats shaving is in the fact that these symptoms should fall with each treatment.

Your skin produces natural oils and waxes from the tiny sebaceous glands that keep the skin flexible and supple. These waxes also contain the body’s own germ-killing chemicals, acting as disinfectants against harmful microscopic organisms. Skinculb are best for slim your jaws. Another important function of the skin is the production of Vitamin D when exposed to sunshine, a very important nutrient for a healthy immune system. It is also your body’s radiator, producing perspiration over the skin surface when necessary to cool you when your body overheats. Overall, the skin is a pretty important organ and well worth taking care of, especially if you are planning some serious skincare treatments.

Skin Permeability:

The epidermis’ outermost layer is called the stratum corneum, and is important for allergy and sensitivity. The SC is comprised of a network of cells on the surface that provides immediate protection from the outside world and helps restrict loss of water. This outermost layer requires lipids (fats) to form a healthy cutaneous barrier. Combined with the dying cells that compact and form a sort of “cement”, healthy skin does a good job of providing a sturdy barrier. However, when there is disruption in the number and compactness of the intercellular lipids, the skin barrier can become more permeable. This disruption can explain how some toxins might seep through SC cells, enter the tiny blood vessels in the dermis and subcutaneous fatty tissue and possibly spark an antibody-mediated reaction. This explains why some people do not suffer with allergic contact dermatitis when exposed to poisonous plants. Their skin barrier is intact and able to effectively protect the body from the toxin. Atopic dermatitis can also be sparked by numerous allergens, inhaled, ingested and contacted substances. Some foods (especially eggs) or inhalants (dust mites and cat dander) have been established as being the most common allergens. Want to know what is the best whitening cream for face and body? This product can help your skin look more radiant and clean. Try out testo prime.

Causes of Skin Barrier Damage:

Essential fatty Acid Deficiency:

Usually most Americans have adequate supplies of cholesterol or ceramides for the skin, both from dietary sources and internal metabolism, but they may not get enough polyunsaturated fatty acids (essential fatty acids, EFAs) that are only available through diet. The skin barrier requires an abundance of omega-6 essential fatty acids and daily natural products to protect the skin, we recommend the microdermabrasion kits which contain these ingredients. Most of the time overweight and obesity can lead to skin related conditions, prevent most of them with these meticore weight loss reviews.

There are two primary types of omega-6 EFAs, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid, both of which are only found in foods. Linoleic acid is found in the oils of safflower, sunflower, corn, soy, and sesame. An enzyme is responsible for converting linoleic acid into gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a fatty acid that is needed to complete the skin surface lipid structure. GLA is found naturally in evening primrose oil, black currant oil, and borage oil.

Changes in Humidity:

rain_200 Exposure to humidity changes seems to cause an increase turnover rate of skin cells, which exhausts the oils in the skin barrier and exacerbates inflammatory skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Dehydration:

Many of us know that we need to drink lots of water. You may not know, however, how important it is for healthy skin. The surface skin is thicker than the interior tissues of the body. Circulation comes to the base of the skin, and the water has to seep upwards through all the strata of the skin to reach the outer layer. The exposed surface of the skin is also constantly losing water due to environmental factors such as sun, wind, and chemicals, to name a few. When the body itself is dehydrated, circulation to the base of the outer skin may be shut down as an emergency measure so that water is not lost through evaporation from the skin’s surface. Chronic dehydration shows in the face with wrinkles, lines and furrows. It’s best to drink filtered water. There are many quality filtration systems on the market. Touch Up Laser is an effective procedure to get rid of many other unwanted conditions.

Ultraviolet Radiation:

sunshine_220 We know that both types of UV rays, UVA and UVB, can lead to skin cancer and eye problems if left unprotected from the harsh radiation. What most people don’t realize is that UV radiation also increases skin permeability and can be a significant factor in sensitization. Studies have shown that skin lipid synthesis significantly declines 72 hours after UVB exposure but recovered after 96 hours, suggesting that UVB-induced barrier damage may not be permanent. Wait a minute, you may say, you just told me that the skin needed sunshine to produce vitamin D, important for the immune system. How many of you have a tendency to overdo when you do get out in the sun? This is where the most damage occurs. It is a fact that rates of skin cancer are typically higher in areas of the body that are generally kept covered and only exposed during sun bathing. Regular, consistent, small amounts of exposure to the sun (without burning) has a protective effect on the skin, increases vitamin D, can improve mood, help with depression and myriad other benefits. Rule of thumb is that a very fair-skinned person with northern heritage should only get 10-15 minutes of sun exposure over the majority of the body during peak hours. Someone with darker skin and a heritage that originated closer to the equator should be able to get longer exposure without doing more harm than good. So, moderate sun exposure can actually help reduce the potential for cancer risk. It is difficult to get all the necessary vitamin D from dietary sources. So make sure you get moderate sun and avoid over-exposure, especially during peak sunshine hours.

We’ll cover more about skin and its care in future blogs, as we are going to attend a skin clinic to be able to provide you with more information.

It’s never too soon to start building good dental habits with your kids. Why? Because poor dental habits easily slip into the routines of children and their parents if they’re not careful. Every once and awhile, we all need a reminder about the best habits to build, as well as the ones we need to avoid.

We love brightening and maintaining our young patient’s smiles. Sometimes, that’s done through procedures like dental sealants or composite fillings. Other times, it’s done through educating and assisting our patients and their parents in building good dental habits. If you start them now, you’ve got an excellent chance they’ll last for a lifetime.

Here are ten quick, easy-to-remember tips to help build outstanding oral hygiene:

GOOD DENTAL HABITS: START WITH A PEDIATRIC DENTIST EARLY

The best habit you could possibly build for your child is to get them to the pediatric dentist early in life. How early? When baby’s first tooth erupts from the gums, you should call the pediatric dentist within six months. Start your child at the dentist when they’re young, and you’ll begin a good dental habit that will reap benefits for a lifetime.

BAD DENTAL HABITS: CONSTANT USE OF A SIPPY CUP

When your child has trouble settling at bedtime, or when they’re needing to be pacified during the day, it’s tempting to simply stick a bottle in their mouth. However, using a sippy cup in these ways not only builds a bad habit, but overuse of a sippy cup can train the mouth to produce less saliva, which can ultimately lead to cavities. Sippy cup use isn’t harmful in and of itself, just make sure that it’s only used for drinking and not as a supplemental pacifier.

GOOD DENTAL HABIT: REPLACE OLD TOOTHBRUSHES

As your child grows and begins to use their own toothbrush without your help, make sure they know when their toothbrush should be replaced. A good rule of thumb is to replace a toothbrush every three months or even sooner if the brush shows sign of significant wear. If your child uses an old, tattered brush, they may be spreading nearly as much bacteria in their mouth as they clean out! Prevent tooth decay easily by reading these steel bite pro real reviews.

Every Day Earth Guide, continued

Earth Day, Environmental, Garden, General Info, Nutrition No Responses »

May 052009

Today is wet, cold and blustery here in the Cascade foothills, but we are braving it and continuing to get the garden ready to plant this week in the hopes that we don’t have another freeze. The picture at left is meant to give you one of many creative ideas if you are bored with grass in your parking strip in the city. This is across the entire 60’ double lot in front of our Seattle (Queen Anne hill) house in the mid 90’s, a veritable field of Flanders’ poppies. As one neighbor commented back then, “It appears we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Marcia!” Annual wildflower mixes are inexpensive and can be directly sowed in spring for easy-care color and scent and will last well into late summer. The key is to prepare good soil by tilling peat moss, leaf mold and additives (and hand turn to aerate well), smoothing surface before sowing the seed. We made extra concrete walkways to allow crossing through without walking in the bed itself, although we did have the occasional “urban deer” as I called those moving too fast (joggers, kids on skateboards) to avoid tromping through. As you can see, little damage occurred and most walkers in our neighborhood went out of their way to pass by and enjoy the display. There is no doubt that there are tons of excellent pest management companies in Buffalo. You can call power pest control at any time. Nevertheless, not all of them are equal. Some companies will deliver a better performance than others. We strongly believe that we’re the best company in the city and we believe that we’ll deliver a better performance than anyone. We’re locally based and we believe in treating our clients like a member of our family. Since we’re locally based, we’ll have no trouble reaching your location. Our technicians are thoroughly familiar with Buffalo, so they’ll be able to reach your location and rectify your problem in a hurry. For both indoor and outdoor temperature control use Blaux portable ac.

Concrete cleaning is the another important thing to consider. Cleaning your concrete periodically and keeping it safe with the proper concrete cleaners are the key components of any good maintenance program. How often you clean your concrete will largely depend upon the conditions the concrete is exposed to, especially sunlight intensity, weather extremes, and therefore the amount of auto traffic. you’ll ask your concrete contractor to recommend cleaning products appropriate for cleaning concrete, asphalt, stone & the other sort of driveway, sidewalk, and walkway.

Concrete is porous holds dirt, tree sap, rust stains, mineral stains, to sink at heart making it tough to wash with just soap and water. to wash concrete effectively, you want to use knowledgeable grade cleaner made exclusively for cleaning concrete. a good sort of concrete cleaners are available that are custom-made to wash or remove oil and grease stains, dirt, paint stains and rust stains from concrete surfaces. Understanding what these cleaners do and the way they work can save some time and money on a cleaning project. Today there are multitudes of cleaners to settle on from but it is highly recommended to engage with professional concrete cleaners to get a better experience . They are special sorts of concrete cleaners targeting specific sorts of contamination and dirt during a big variety of environmental conditions. Once you discover the cleaner that works, you’ll cut some time for concrete maintenance in half.

TOO MUCH RAIN TO MOW? If the lawn is wet because you’re getting more rain than you are used to, try thebestleafblowers.com to help keep cut grass from sticking. This will allow you to cut when grass is still slightly wet. Keeping your grass at least 3”-4” tall will keep most weeds at bay by preventing them from getting sunlight to sprout. Use a mulching mower and leave grass clippings to break down and provide healthy nitrogen (this provides about half what your lawn needs) as it breaks down. Healthy grass should be aerated and fed (composted lightly) twice a year; not doing this will promote more weeds. Remember: healthy soil/healthy plants/fewer weeds. Talk to an expert to find the best grass seed combination for your climate and soil. Reseeding should be done in the fall when you expect at least six weeks of 50-70 degree weather, the optimum temperature for grass seeds to sprout. You can also try MyLawnCare Perth for the best gardening and lawn mowing services in town.

YOUNG FRONDS OF FIDDLEHEAD FERNS (also known as ostrich ferns) can be a delicious food. The new fronds will be lighter in color than the rest of the plant, about 2” long and 1 1/2” in diameter. Fiddleheads are safe to eat if cooked, they taste like a cross between asparagus and green beans. They can be stir-fried or steamed, but they should never be eaten raw. Cook no longer than 5 minutes for best flavor and texture.

THE MOST NUTRITIOUS GREENS to grow in your garden (or choose from your organic green grocer) are:
Arugula has a slightly peppery flavor; used in salads.
Beet – young leaves are best. Delicious lightly steamed. When
cooking the beet itself, add the leaves to the pot for extra taste
and nutrition.
Dandelion – young leaves not exposed to pesticides are best.
Their bitter taste is excellent for digestive health.
Endive – a type of chicory that grows in a small, cone-shaped
head. Has pale leaves and is slightly bitter for salads.
Kale – My favorite garden green; choose thin stems/frilly leaves.
Stir fry, steam, add to soups and pastas . . . many uses in
cooking.
Romaine lettuce – full of vitamins and minerals.
Spinach – Very high in nutrition; can be eaten raw or cooked.

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Every Day Earth Guide, continued

Climate Change, Earth Day, Environmental, General Info, Natural Home No Responses »

Apr 262009

As we continue to look at simple ways to be kinder to the Earth in our every day lives, I become acutely aware of our climactic Caleb_Tree_Farm_250 changes and challenges. Here in the Cascade foothills in Snohomish county, WA, we are noticing a trend of colder winters and more often several feet of snow when we used to rarely get inches if any at all. Early Spring is wetter and floods now happen earlier in the year and longer in duration and intensity. Wind storms are more prevalent and there are more downed trees to deal with. And, it’s hotter in the summer months, making it imperative to pay closer attention to the garden plants to insure they are well watered, mulched/composted and sometimes shaded from the sun’s intensity. We continue the discussion with more ideas to create the optimum circumstances for success in the garden.

A COMMUNITY GARDEN is a wonderful way for urbanites to grow a flower and vegetable garden when you don’t have the space or want to interact with others in the community to create a more green urban environment. This is also a fabulous way to introduce young people to the joys of growing their own food. Here’s a few resources in larger cities.
Houston TX: http://www.urbanharvest.org/
Buffalo NY: http://www.urbanroots.org/
Denver CO: http://www.dug.org/home.asp
Rutgers University has a community garden self help guide: http://tinyurl.com/c83fvu
If you start a community garden, make sure that the soil is tested to insure there are no contaminants like lead or other hazardous chemicals that might permeate the crops grown. Some communities are starting gardens for the poor to help supplement the diminishing budgets of our older citizens and those who make do with less. All of these endeavors are rewarding, and again, a good place to introduce children to a sense of ‘community’ while connecting them with Nature.

PLANTING SIMILAR SPECIES of vegetables, like broccoli with cabbage or Brussels sprouts should be avoided as they will compete for nutrients. Companion planting is aesthetically delightful and helps improve soil while keeping pests at bay. Here’s a great companion planting guide: http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html

DIG DEEP when preparing soil for planting. Digging adds air pockets which help repel root-dwelling insects and oxygenate the soil. This helps plants put down healthy roots. This is perhaps the single most important thing you can do to condition the soil. All organic gardeners I know using the similar approach: first of all, they choose easy slider sheds, and another thing – they prefer to turn soil by hand after using a garden tiller.

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Food as Fuel Before, During and After Workouts

Your body is your vehicle, so you have to keep your engine running when you work out. That means fueling up your body by eating the right foods and drinking the right fluids, in the right amounts at the right times. Learn more about blast portable ac benefits.

The American College of Sports Medicine says, “Adequate food and fluid should be consumed before, during, and after exercise to help maintain blood glucose concentration during exercise, maximize exercise performance, and improve recovery time. Athletes should be well hydrated before exercise and drink enough fluid during and after exercise to balance fluid losses.”

“You don’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule and there are no hard-fast rules,” said Riska Platt, M.S., R.D., a nutrition consultant for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. “But there are some things you should do before, during and after you work out.”

Here is what Ms. Platt recommends:

Before: Fuel Up!

Not fueling up before you work out is like “driving a car on empty,” said Platt, an American Heart Association volunteer. You also won’t have enough energy to maximize your workout and you limit your ability to burn calories.

Ideally, fuel up two hours before you exercise by:

Hydrating with water.
Eating healthy carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereals (with low-fat or skim milk), whole-wheat toast, low-fat or fat-free yogurt, whole grain pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables.
Avoiding saturated fats and even a lot of healthy protein — because these types of fuels digest slower in your stomach and take away oxygen and energy-delivering blood from your muscles.

If you only have 5-10 minutes before you exercise, eat a piece of fruit such as an apple or banana, check out the latest pelvic floor strong reviews.

“The key is to consume easily digested carbohydrates, so you don’t feel sluggish,” Platt said.

During: Make a Pit Stop.

Whether you’re a professional athlete who trains for several hours or you have a low to moderate routine, keep your body hydrated with small, frequent sips of water.

Platt notes that you don’t need to eat during a workout that’s an hour or less. But, for longer, high-intensity vigorous workouts, she recommends eating 50-100 calories every half hour of carbohydrates such as low-fat yogurt, raisins, or banana.

After: Refuel Your Tank.

After your workout, Ms. Platt recommends refueling with:

Fluids. Drink water, of course. Blend your water with 100% juice such as orange juice which provides fluids, carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates. You burn a lot of carbohydrates — the main fuel for your muscles — when you exercise. In the 20-60 minutes after your workout, your muscles can store carbohydrates and protein as energy and help in recovery.
Protein. Eat things with protein to help repair and grow your muscles.

Every Day Earth Guide, continued

Climate Change, Earth Day, Environmental, General Info, Natural Home No Responses »

Apr 202009

Last week, we had an amazing podcast with our friends at Unclutterer and talked about ways to be more gentle with the Earth in our everyday lives. It’s warm and sunny here in the Cascade foothills, so I thought I’d continue with ideas for your lawn and garden, thinking this might be where your attention is joyfully focused at this time.

GROW HERBS IN YOUR GARDEN; they are easy to grow and help encourage birds and butterflies, as well as other useful insects. Take help from free resources like ChemLawn to know how you can achieve that. They are a great choice for planting between other flowers and vegetables to increase diversity. Planting basil, oregano, cilantro, sage and tarragon alongside vegetables will remind you to use them together. Having herbs in your garden is one more thing you can take off your shopping list. You can have creepers and climbers on your patio furniture sets to adorn the furniture and cast an aesthetic look.

LARGE PLASTIC BOTTLES can be used as mini-greenhouses, an excellent protective covering for seedlings. Cut off the ends and there you go.

RAIN BARRELS are probably going to be a necessity in the future to help conserve water resources. They now come in a range of sizes, shapes and colors. Perfect Tools 4 U have some useful resources from which you can imagine how you can color barrels and have the best look. Try a decorative one on the deck with a rain chain for melodic ambience and drain it under the deck into the deck-side plantings. You’ll be surprised at the savings on your water bill and your plants will love you. This website will offer more tips on proper care.

SOAKER HOSES AND DRIP IRRIGATION can reduce water waste by as much as 70 percent because their delivery system sends water directly to the roots, unlike sprinklers, which waste water through evaporation.

TRADITIONAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS are a better choice than hybridized newer varieties. ORGANIC NATURAL FERTILIZERS like fish emulsion, bone meal and seaweed-based products are far better than synthetic alternatives. Buy the best corn cob light bulb and place it in your garden to light up the area at night.

Special this week only (through Sunday, April 26) take 10% additional in addition to your 5% web discount off all hydrosols. Enter “Earth Day#1” (no quotes) in promotional code on website
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Celebrate the Earth Every Day

Climate Change, Earth Day, Environmental, General Info, Natural Home No Responses »

Apr 142009

The time has come to take our responsibility for stewardship of our bountiful planet more seriously. Focusing our attention only one day a year to honor the Earth isn’t going to solve the myriad problems we are creating. These problems will grow to overwhelm our children and grandchildren as we continue to ignore the realities of global warming and chemical pollution. The signs of collapsing ecosystems, endangered and disappearing species are all around. Saab Bio Power blogs can guide you to resist these kind of environmental issues. In our busy lives, we sometimes procrastinate necessary changes. We need to learn better ecological habits to reverse a destructive trend before it is too late. This is the beginning of a series of short articles that will contain simple, yet effective ways to replace harsh chemicals that pollute the environment with safe, gentle natural alternatives and make our lives more in tune with the natural world. We hope you join us in making these sensible choices.

HOUSEPLANTS act as natural air filters, through photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide and water and releasing oxygen as a waste material. How symbiotic is that! You can find delightful houseplants that require little care for every room of the house and never have to purchase synthetic chemical air fresheners again. These commercial products only mask smells and coat nasal passages with chemicals that diminish your sense of smell. Samara Botane has a lovely variety of natural environmental aromatic products to keep your home environment, car or camper fresh and clean. Made with antiseptic and antiviral essential oils, they also limit germs and exposure to viral pathogens. These come in synergies to use in a diffuser and aromatic room misters. You can also make your own antiseptic spray by simply adding a few drops of essential oil to a spritzer bottle filled with water. Try tea tree and lavender, sweet orange and cedarwood, rose geranium and lemon.

HOMEMADE WASHER SOAP can be made by mixing 1 cup baking soda with 10 drops each of lavender and grapefruit essential oils, adding drop by drop and mixing thoroughly. Add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of powdered castile soap. Mix well and store in an airtight container. Add 1/2 cup to each load of wash. For really tough stains, dissolve 1/2 cup borax, allow to cool completely. Add 1 cup distilled white vinegar and 6 drops eucalyptus essential oil. Soak soiled clothes in this blend for 2 hours before laundering.

Special this week only (through Sunday, April 19) take 20% off all essential oils. Enter “Earth Day#1” (no quotes) in promotional code on website
http://www.wingedseed.com

FDA Globalization Act of 2008

cosmetic, General Info, indie beauty, Legislation, Skincare No Responses »

Jun 262008

Many of us are reeling when we envision the negative impact the FDA Globalization Act of 2008 could have on small beauty businesses, and the resultant curtailing of consumer choices when it comes to handmade natural products. The restrictive annual and product registration fees that could be charged under this act could become so burdensome that many of these small businesses would have to close their doors. Some of our small business customers could be facing a $12,000 product registration fee for each formula for a bar of soap.

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, CEO of the Indie Business Network has worked diligently to support and provide a wide umbrella of education and services to support independent beauty products manufacturers, most of whom began in their own kitchens. Many of these companies, after years of diligence and hard work have now emerged as successful, thriving alternatives to mass produced big box cosmetic products. Donna Maria is a big reason for this success. She now has rallied her legal skills and the energies of the IBN membership to stop this potentially stifling legislation.

Watch the video, then go to her blog and sign on as a signatory to the petition.

Indie_Business_Blog

Then, contact your own representatives in Congress to voice your objection to this pending legislation. Your choices will be dependent upon the ultimate status of this bill.

Eating Causes Global Warming?

Climate Change, General Info, Health, Herbs, Networking No Responses »

Jun 052008

I’ve recently read that our food system is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse emissions. When you think about bananas being shipped to a U.S. port, then transported by container truck to a distribution point, then trucked across your state to your local grocer, this begins to make sense.

Here’s a great little calculator to help you compare the relative carbon impacts of your food choices. The nifty thing is – if you reduce emissions by your eating habits, you will also be eating healthier and maybe learning to grow your own garden and shop at your local farmer’s market (supporting your regional food supply).

You handmade products manufacturers might want to look into being a vendor at your local farmer’s market. You’ll make good contacts for fresh herbs and flowers to use in your products. It’s a great way to expand your networking . . . all the time helping the environment. Excellllent! (Stroking imaginary beard.)

Our Failing Medical System

General Info, Health, Legislation, Pharmaceuticals No Responses »

May 152008

Most of my friends are pretty savvy when it comes to knowing about and using natural therapies. Believe it or not, there used to be a time when medical doctors had more to offer their patients than a prescription for pharmaceuticals. Now, after a quick 5-9 minute consultation, this seems to be their ONLY remedy. Unfortunately, many people are hastily and needlessly drugged because they think doctors are trusted experts. When this “expert” slips them this small slip of paper, people think, “This MUST be the best answer.”

I was shocked when the pharmaceutical companies were allowed to advertise prescription drugs as if they were just like the other consumables that slick advertising seduces us to buy. Turning patients into consumers was a bold move that cleverly switched medical necessities into consumer choices and ultimately has undermined the authority of the FDA to enact more tempered regulation. Commercial air medical escort are available as part of the service, giving your loved one the support they need during their flight. The Center for Media and Democracy’s Mary Ebeling has written Beyond Advertising: The pharmaceutical Industry’s Hidden Marketing Tactics, a thoughtful look at this disturbing trend. “What is surprising is that public health advocates haven’t made pharmaceutical rebranding and off-label promotions of drugs and medical major issues”, she writes. It is puzzling to me that the increasing consumer desire for all things natural hasn’t become a rallying call for a direct challenge to this practice by the pharmaceutical industry. Prevent obesity and other related conditions after reading these proven reviews.

Even the British Medical Journal has admitted that there is evidence that pharmaceutical advertising in medical journals is influencing doctors’ behavior more than they might admit to. A follow-on debate is also published by the Pharmalink team. A study by two York University researchers estimates that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on advertising and promotion than on research and development, contrary to the industry’s claim. These statistics are a no brainer and one can easily connect the dots. Learn more about Blast auxiliary.

Most of you who read this blog are already making healthy choices to use natural therapies and embrace food and exercise choices to maintain health without a lot of prescription drugs. The BMJ has also covered the rise of consumer groups in Europe who are rallying to prevent the EU from lifting a ban on DTP (Direct to Patient) advertising. Those of you who frequent a blog like this might be interested in the services of my chiropractor at this Website they really are the best. Go through https://www.elitespinecentres.com/spinal-decompression/ for the best spinal decompression treatment.

Privatization of hospitals, the percentage of costs that go to insurance companies and malpractice insurance costs are part of the problem for soaring health care costs. Surely the increased expenses for pharmaceutical companies to advertise as heavily as they do is directly correlated with burgeoning health care costs to consumers. Click here for more information on how to protect yourself in such situations. Check out these pelvic floor strong reviews.

Most bankruptcies in this country are because of catastrophic health care costs. Four million Americans have no healthcare and just as many or more are underinsured. It is time to demand a complete overhaul and implement a plan that promotes preventative therapies (including natural) and guarantees full health care for all Americans. When Taiwan became a rich country, its citizens had been languishing in poor health for decades. They moved quickly to universal health care and now its citizens are fully covered . . . and costs are far less than health care in the U.S. The U. S. continues to put corporate profit above the health of its citizens, causing undo suffering. We can do better.

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