Archive for October, 2007

Video on Breast Health

Breast Cancer Awareness month may be drawing to an end but it’s still important to be aware of this disease that affects the lives of so many people. Video Shelf have released a Therapeutic Breast Massage Video DVD designed for professional massage therapists which explains techniques on massaging the breasts. In addition to demonstrating the massage techniques the DVD explains more about breast physiology and lymphatic drainage along with legal considerations.

Be aware that this DVD is designed for professionals so if you don’t have experience in massage you may want to visit a trained professional if you wish to have this performed on you.

Do Digestive Enzyme Supplements Work?

Many glossy magazines have a special knack of convincing us that we can’t live without a particular supplement. Before you know it, your kitchen cupboard resembles a mini-health store. Yeah, so there are a number of supplements that are very good for you such as Evening Primrose Oil, Cod Liver Oil and Spirulina, however if you had to choose just one what would it be?

For me I think I would have to choose Digestive Enzymes.

What are Digestive Enzymes?

Digestive enzymes digest our food so that we can use the nutrients to keep our body healthy. There are many types of enzymes, each with a specific role. For instance, amylase digests starch, whilst lipase digests fats. Without these enzymes we will suffer from indigestion, malnutrition or even a weakened immune system.

How do We Normally Get Digestive Enzymes?

If you are eating a diet largely made up of processed food then it’s unlikely intaking enough enzymes. This means your body then has to produce its own enzymes. Unfortunately our bodies have a limited supply, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. Even eating raw fruit and veg may not be enough if they have been grown thousands of miles away or in soil that is poor quality.

What Digestive Enzymes to Take?

As I said, there are a number of types of enzymes available each with its own role. You can buy them either individually, for instance people who are intolerant to milk can take lactase or you could take a protease capsule with a protein drink. It you aren’t sure then it’s probably best just to take one which has the most important enzymes in it along with your main meal.

At the moment I’m taking a Bromelain (from pineapples) and Papain (from papaya) tablet with my protein shake every day. My boyfriend on the other hand takes Now foods Plant Enzymes because he suffers from indigestion. When taking the enzymes he doesn’t need to take any indigestion tablets. I call that a success.

(If you live in the UK, I buy these enzymes and protein powders from MyProtein.co.uk as I find they have a very good selection at competitive prices.)

So basically, it’s all very well to take lots of supplements however if you aren’t digesting them properly it could all be a waste of time (and money).  I don’t know, but it might even help with cleansing your liver.

Bizarre: Dentist Fondles 27 Female Patients

The award for the worst excuse ever goes to dentist Dr. Mark Anderson who claimed that the breast fondling of 27 female patients was purely “professional”. He claims that the massaging of his patients’ chests was to treat temporo-mandibular joint disorder (TMJ), which is the cause of neck and head pain.

Not only that but attorney Rober Zao told administrative law judge Jonathan Lew that his client should be able to keep his licence so that he can feed his seven children and pay for his defence.

Having looked more at TMJ I cannot find anything about massaging the breasts and there is certainly nothing to suggest that having a sleazy dentist shove his hands into your bra is going to help.

Some thinng to think about the next time you undersgo sedation dentistry.  It seems the judge has made no final decision. I say send him to the slammer!

Spray Cleaners Linked to Asthma: Discover Alternatives

Any asthma sufferers out there? If the answer is yes then you’ll be interested to know that spray cleaners have been linked to 1 in 7 cases of adult asthma. You don’t even have to use spray cleaners everyday, just once a week is enough to set off an attack a study by he Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain has revealed.

Furniture Sprays

Personally I hate these sprays, not only does it make me cough and sneeze but furniture experts say they are really bad for wood. Instead you should buy a traditional beeswax made from natural ingredients.

Here are a couple of other methods I’ve read about but not tried:

Surface cleaners

Look out for eco products in the supermarket which use natural ingredients. If you want to clean your home with natural alternatives whilst saving money, here a few suggestions:-

  • Vinegar – Wipe over kitchen countertops and your toilet bowl with a cloth. Easy.
  • Bicarbonate of Soda – This is great stuff, it was the only thing that worked when my hair went really greasy. Can also be used to clean stains and remove odors.
  • Orange Oil – we used to have a cleaner that was made with orange oil. Don’t know where it is now but it smelt great.
  • Grapefruit juice – if your bath is really dirty try equal amounts of grapefruit juice and salt.
  • Lemon juice can also be used as Grapefruit above, you can even detox with lemon juice.

Airfreshers

Essential oils – If you haven’t done so already, get yourself a nice essential oil burner. Not only will it make your home smell nice but you’ll receive other health benefits depending on what oils you choose.

Bicarbonate of Soda – Sprinkle some onto your carpets before vacuuming.

Buy House Plants – According to studies by NASA, house plants can remove all sorts of horrible chemicals from the air. You don’t have to turn your home into a tropical jungle either, just a few plants per room will be enough.

A Busy Workout in the Garden

The review fee for this post will go to American Red Cross

TreeOver the last couple of weeks it has been a battle of wills between me and the trees in our garden. It is of course that time of year again when a never ending supply of leaves fall to the ground. Everyday I’ve been out raking up the leaves and each morning some little Imp has put them all back again. Who needs to go to the gym when you’ve got a carpet of leaves to rake up every day?!

In addition to this I’ve also been painting the windows, removing the mastic and digging up the compost. All these tasks require tools which we’ve been keeping in the garage. Unfortunately the previous owners spent a small fortune building this crappy of piece junk. It’s ugly, narrow (not much wider than a car), has no windows and no lighting. I’m not sure what we plan on using the garage for in future, at the moment we have building materials for the house and gardening tools amongst other things. Not exactly sure as I can barely see anything, the only reason the photo has turned out is because my camera has a good flash.

Garage

CarGuyGarage.com has lots of garage storage to buy so that you can store all your bits and pieces better organised than my garage.

New Study: Tea Can Help Reduce Bone Loss

Some more good news for those of us who drink black or green tea regularly. A recent study by Australian researchers found that tea can help protect us from bone loss and osteoporosis.

The findings were a result of a 5 year study on calcium, tea and osteoporosis. 275 women between the ages of 70 and 85 had their hip bone density measured at the beginning and end of the study.

It was found that tea-drinkers had 2.8% greater bone density than non-drinkers and that over four years, tea drinkers lost only 1.6% density compared to 4%

Researches couldn’t find a relation between results and number of cups drunk per day which suggests to me that even just drinking one cup per day could offer benefits. They also found that intake of calcium, coffee and smoking didn’t affect the results.

Although more research is needed it’s just more evidence that natural remedies do work. Plus, drinking tea is not expensive and is very tasty 🙂

Health and Beauty Coupons

Although I can’t make use of these coupons myself because I’m in the UK, I thought I would compile a few details of special discounts you can get with Coupon Chief. Just remember to follow the instructions on the site properly because if you don’t then you won’t receive your discount.

Botanic Choice coupons have a number of special discount offers including $10 off your order if you spend $20 or $50 off if you spend $150. They have a massive range of health and beauty products including Greet Tea, Digestive Aids and Aromatherapy.

Amazon deals – Save $10 when you spend $49 on organic beauty products such as Kiss My Face and Toms of Maine. I always like to use as many natural products as possible because I believe they are healthier for the body as well as the planet.

Mex Grocer codes – If you like to be experimental in the kitchen MexGrocer have loads of Mexican foods to try out. They’re currently offering 20% off if you spend more than $25. They also have kitchen utensils such as Tamales and La Cocinera so that your Mexican dishes are truly authentic.

 

Why Are Americans So Greedy?

When my Mum and Dad were on a Hawaiian cruise a few years ago they were repulsed by the amount of gluttony displayed by the American passengers. Instead of people just putting what they could eat on the plate, they cram everything on as if it were their last meal before they died. What was really disgusting was that half of it ended up being thrown out.

Why Do They Act Like This?

Why can’t they just help themselves to what they know they can eat instead of being so wasteful? Do they not have the self-control just to eat sausage and eggs one day and bacon and beans the next?

My old dog used to live for food and would sometimes escape to raid the bins behind restaurants and takeaways. She would eat so much she had to be carried home. At least she had an excuse! She was a stray found by my Gran begging for food outside a butcher shop. Even although we gave her regular meals still had the fear of not knowing when her next meal would be.

Difference Between Americans and Europeans

Although things are far from perfect here, whenever I’ve been on holiday in Europe people tend to just put on their plate what they can eat. If they are still hungry they’ll go up for seconds or even thirds (or fourths).

If white Americans are descended from Europeans why is there such a gap in attitudes to food? I know that Burger King and MacDonalds are big business here too but what I’m talking about is the “eyes bigger than your stomach” syndrome. Although I’ve seen people act like pigs at these “all you can eat” buffets, they seem to be in the minority compared to in America.

On a side note, I find it really funny how people on the cruise seemed to think that eating low-fat yoghurt, low calorie maple syrup and diet cola would somehow improve their diet. Talk about being delusional!

Question: Do all Americans act like this or is it just people on Cruise ships?

Health Benefits of Tequila

I wondered to myself if there might be any health benefits to drinking tequila in the way that a glass of red wine a day is good for you. To my surprise it seems that there are benefits.

  1. Relaxant – A small glass before heading to bed can help relax you after a busy stressful day, helping you to sleep better.
  2. Lowers Cholesterol – It has been proven the tequila can dissolve fats; reducing cholesterol.
  3. Optimizes cardiac functions
  4. Aids Digestion – Drink a glass before, during or after your meal in order to aid digestion.


General benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol

Doctors around the world recommend alcohol in varying amounts, from as little as one glass per day in America to three in the Netherlands. If you drink somewhere in between those amounts then you’ll enjoy the following benefits:-

  • 54% less chance of developing dementia
  • 30-40% less chance of developing diabetes
  • 25% less chance of dying in any given year
  • 0.5% less chance of having a stroke

Don’t let this be an excuse to play those drinking games every night. Like with most things in life, whether it be chocolate, wine or tequila it must be in moderation for it to be beneficial. Drinking too much can lead to all sorts of health problems such as sclerosis of the liver.  Find out ways to help an alcoholic.  BTW, everyone should learn how to cleanse your liver.

Mexican food is also very yummy so it’s worthwhile checking out some healthy Mexican food.  Yes that’s right, there is Mexican food that’s healthy too.  What a surprise that would be for your friends.  You can invite them over for a healthy meal and then serve them up Mexican food with tequila for drinks.  What fun!

Improve Your Memory: Linkword Languages Review

The ability to learn is very important and can have an affect on our confidence. My boyfriend used to work in recruitment and training and found that many people who have difficulties in learning also suffer from depression. The problem is that the way lessons are taught aren’t always the most effective for everyone.

I can remember sitting in my French class like it was yesterday. The teacher would hold up picture cards and ask what the objects are in French. Everyone else seemed to get it straight away but whenever I was asked my mind would go blank. I came to the conclusion that I just didn’t have what it takes to learn another language.

Joke:

Q: What do you call someone who can speak two languages?
A: Bilingual

Q: What do you call someone who can speak three languages?
A: Trilingual

Q: What do you call someone who can speak one language?
A: British (or American)

Last year we went on holiday to Lake Iseo in Italy which is off the usual tourist path. A few months prior to going my boyfriend suggested us learning a bit of Italian. I wasn’t too enthusiastic but decided to have a look on the net for a better learning system. This is when I came across Link Word Languages(Unforgettable Languagesin the US).

It uses an imagery technique which is also used in The Amazing Memory Kit. The course was developed by Michael Gruneberg, former President of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. Independent studies have shown results are up to 3 times faster which doesn’t surprise me. Actually for me I would say it’s more like a hundred times faster.

Here’s a written example, you must picture the image as vividly as you can for 10 seconds.

The Italian for BIRD is UCCELLO
Imagine the conductor in an animal orchestra saying to a BIRD.
“YOU CELLO, me conductor.”

Self Esteem

I really wish I had access to this course when I was at school. Having words go in one ear and out the other doesn’t help with ones self-esteem. Although I’m far from being fluent in Italian I do believe that by working on it for a short time everyday I’ll be able to master basic conversational Italian. I neglected it for more than a year but at the I weekend bought the complete downloadable course. I’m amazed at how much vocabulary I have retained, which proves to me that it’s good for more than just short-term memory.

If you want to learn how to improve your memory when it comes to learning a language then using the linkwords memory technique is well worth giving a go.  So even if you want to learn Chinese can do so now.