Achoo - Allergens are invading my house!

It's been a long Winter, but Spring will be here before we know it, and so will allergy suffering. I'm happy to bring you a guest post today by Emma Atkin on allergens and what can be done to help your immune system fight back.

Achoo - Allergens are Invading My House!!

"Your eyes are red and itchy, and there seems to be no way to keep up with the dust and animal dander floating around your rooms and settling like powdered sugar on your furniture. Must be springtime!!

Why do we have more allergens in the air this time of year? If you have pets, Mother Nature has conveyed what the Ground Hog already knew - winter won’t last forever. It’s time for Fluffy, Fido and even the guinea pig to shed a few layers of winter undercoat and dander… all over your house.

Mix that with the wildflowers popping out of the ground and the trees starting to bud, and pollen is on the rampage once again. And just when you were getting over Cedar fever, right? So, how can you keep indoor allergies and outdoor allergies down to a minimum? There are a few, inexpensive steps you can take to make this springtime less miserable for you and your loved ones.

First, change or clean those air filters over the next few months, a little more regularly than normal. A good HEPA filter is less expensive than all of those over the counter cold and allergy remedies that just went up in price and can up your blood pressure.

Another is to take a tip from the Japanese - take off your shoes at the door. You will be surprised how much less is tracked in and scattered around your house.

I know you want to air out the house, but most allergists will tell you open windows breed sneezing fits. That fresh breeze may be the reason someone is sleeping with Vicks rubbed on their chests tonight.

Boost the immune system with antioxidants. Antioxidants found in dark fruits such as blueberries, cranberries, dark cherries, pomegranate and acai berry are rich in antioxidants that can give your immune system a fighting chance against all the chemicals in the air we breathe and in the preserved foods we ingest. It doesn’t take much to tip the scales and overload our bodies’ ability to fight germs.

Brush out the pets nightly while they are shedding. They will feel better, there will be less dander and fur on your couch, and less fur balls hacked up on your floors. Consider adding a few drops of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in their daily water.

Many people swear by the old remedy of putting a dab of petroleum jelly right under each nostril. They say this actually helps catch the pollen particles from invading the ol’ honker. Looks better than a mesh mask over half of your face, right?

Wash those hands often! Antibacterial soaps and gels help reduce some germ inter-contact, but many homeopathic professionals are concerned it is counterproductive to the building up of our natural immune fighting capabilities. A good hand washing with natural ingredient soaps is best.

These few steps will make this spring season a more enjoyable one around your house… and a healthier one as well."

Health benefits of Ginger

In addition to enhancing the flavor of foods particularly Indian and Chinese cuisine, Ginger has long been used for medicinal purposes, classified as a stimulant and carminative (preventing gas formation in the intestinal tract). It is generally considered safe according to the FDA but it can interact with some medications such as warfarin.

The herb Ginger promotes the release of bile from the gallbladder, may decrease arthritis joint pain, and has blood thinning and cholesterol lowering abilities, thus making it helpful in treating heart disease. It also helps diarrhea and nausea from seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy, which explains why Ginger Ale is so effective at calming an upset stomach.

Some people have reported allergic reactions to Ginger in the form of a rash. In a small percentage of people, the powdered form of Ginger can cause heartburn, bloating, gas, and belching. And people suffering from ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or blocked intestines should be leery of ingesting large quantities of fresh Ginger.

Reduce your risk of breast cancer

A new study has found that drinking 3 or more cups of tea daily reduces the risk of breast cancer by 37% in women under the age of 50, when the risk is the most virulent. Another study revealed that tea also reduces the risk of endometrial cancer. And it doesn't matter if it's black, white, green or oolong tea. Tea has long been believed to aid the liver, purify the body, preserve mental equilibrium, and destroy the typhoid germ, and modern scientists have documented many health benefits as reputable. For more details, read
"Drink tea and reduce risk of breast cancer by 37%".

And that's not all. Researchers have found that extra virgin olive oil is also effective at fighting breast cancer due to it's powerful natural antioxidants. Read "Extra virgin olive oil fights breast cancer" for additional details.

Finally, selenium has been found to protect you against certain cancers by supporting a healthy thyroid, boosting your immune system, and most importantly is it's antioxidant power.

My Grandma always encouraged us to sit down and have a cup of tea with her, and she lived to be 91 and pretty healthy right up to her last year. I've been hooked on tea since I was a kid and drink a pot every day, hot or iced depending on the weather. Personally I prefer tea without caffeine, but don't care for the chemical treatment involved in decaffeinated tea. My favorite is Haiku organic Japanese twig tea, made from the twigs rather than the leaves where the caffeine is found. It makes a delicious dark tea that tastes like the wonderful tea you get in oriental restaurants. I buy it in a 35 ounce bag that lasts several months, and brew it in a drip coffee maker, but it also comes in individual tea bags. So I'm off to have my morning tea break - care to join me?

Are Spray-on tanning products safe?

With the winter dragging on and the lack of sunshine, you may be considering a tanning salon or home tanning product to give yourself a little lift. But are they safe?

Most tanning salons will tell you that spray tanning is safe, but even the FDA says they're dangerous, although you're likely not to hear anything about it. Tanning sprays contain DHA (dihydroxyacetone), a combination of lead, mercury and arsenic, all toxic substances. The US government approved DHA for bronzers that are rubbed into the skin back in 1970, but it has not been specifically approved for spray-on applications, where it can be inhaled into the porous mucous membranes of your body and enter your bloodstream.

DHA can cause coughing, fainting, dizziness and breathing problems. So these products are best avoided, but if you must have a spray-on tan, make sure your eyes, nose and mouth are covered so that you don't inhale the spray.

Herb - Sage

Sage is a small evergreen perennial plant, with grayish leaves, blue and purple flowers, and woody stems. It originated in the Mediterranean region and is used in cooking and as a medicinal herb. Common sage is grown in Europe's Balkans for essential oil distillation.

Sage has a pepper flavor and is used to flavor meat, cheese and some drinks. In the US and Britain, it's used with onion to season poultry. Germans us it in sausage dishes, the French use it in vegetable soups and to season white meat, Italians use it with olive oil and butter on pasta dishes, and the Middle East uses it in mutton.

The Latin name for sage is salvia, meaning to heal. It has been used for basically every illness over the years. Modern uses are as an antibiotic, anti fungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic and tonic. In one study it was found to be helpful in managing mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Wordless Wednesday #45

Our unseasonably warm 60 degree temps this week has me thinking of my flower garden and dreaming of Spring.

Raw Diet money saving tips

Have you decided a raw food diet is for you but are worried about the cost? Here's some tips to help you save money on your new healthier diet.

1. Buy a dehydrator so you can make your own chips, crackers, cookies, dehydrated nuts, etc. You can write down the ingredients in packaged raw food snacks and make them yourself much cheaper.

2. check out some raw food and health books at the library instead of buying them. Most library websites have a request function that will transfer the book(s) you want to your local branch and notify you when it's ready to pick up.

3. Another option: organize a book exchange with your friends. Or buy books you're sure you want from an online bookstore.

4. Buy your supplements in bulk online.

5. Then if you have more than you need, split it between your friends.

6. Make your own beauty products from foods you already have in your kitchen.

7. Exchange foods with friends to try out new recipes and save on money. Raw recipes are available online.

8. Buy used kitchen equipment online, at local health food stores' notice board, or ask your friends and family if they have a food processor, blender, or juicer they don't use that you could borrow.

9. Join a wholesale club and purchase family-sized bags and boxes of fruits and vegetables. You will probably go through these just as fast as a family would! You can find avocados, dates, organic spinach, raw nuts, some frozen fruit, and select organic fresh fruit at these stores.

10. Create your own personal raw food recipe books with all of your favorite or most appealing recipes by copying and pasting all of your favorite recipes posted online onto a word processing document. You can use the find function just as you would the index of the book.

11. Use "shopwiki.com" to search several websites online for the best possible price before buying online (especially supplements).

12. Make your own Rejuvelac and/or Kombucha if you can. Do a search online for ingredients and instructions. It's very easy and economical to do. It could save you money on Probiotic supplements as well.

13. Grow your own sprouts. Each tray of sprouts will only cost you about .20-.30 cents each compared to $4-5 dollars at the store.

14. Buy whatever organic food is available at the farmers market or smaller produce stores before going to the big chain natural food store. Then figure out your menu or recipe ideas for the week, based on what you have to work with in your fridge.

15. Buy all your spices and nuts, seeds, grain, and dried fruit in the bulk section of your big chain natural food store. It saves a lot of money because you're not paying for individual packaging.

16. If available, buy mint, basil, rosemary and other fresh herbs in the bulk section of the natural foods grocery store for big savings.

17. If you can't afford to buy all organic produce (some are quite hard to even find organic), switch to buying conventional product for those fruits and vegetables carrying the least amount of pesticides when grown conventionally: broccoli, eggplant, cabbage, banana, kiwi, asparagus, sweet peas, mango, pineapple, sweet corn, avocado, onion. Buy these foods only organic as they carry the highest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes.

18. Love your sea veggies? Avoid buying the $5 to $6 bags unless you are experimenting with new ones. Buying online in bulk (2-4 lbs at a time) is most economical.

19. Forage for free wild foods for super nutrition (e.g. dandelion, clover, purslane, stinging nettles, etc.) . Use some of these greens in your salads, smoothies, and juices and save money in the store.

20. Sign up to receive newsletters from raw food online stores for announcements on special sales and promotions.

21. Get involved in a loyalty marketing business and get access to superfoods and supplements at a discount. Or get started in your own at home business to start making money so you can afford spending more on healthy foods and superfoods.

22. Don't forget all of those other areas you're saving in now that you're living more of a raw vegan lifestyle: gas bills, doctor and hospital visits, prescription medicine, OTC medicine, coffee, soda, candy, (and other junk food,) expensive cooked food restaurants (not that you won't go to these again but you won't be ordering $35 entrees and appetizers and desserts there).

These tips are courtesy of Natural News.com

Viagra helping our national security?

The Washington Post reports that Viagra has been enlisted to aid U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. When CIA operatives purchase information from Afghan chieftains and other tribal officials, payment methods can be a problem. Cash payments for the informants set off red flags that they may be in cahoots with the CIA, leaving a chieftain in a very precarious position.

The Post reported that some of these aging chiefs have up to four wives, so many of them welcome help to restore vitality and authority. Other incentives used are medical and dental care, travel visas, and school equipment.

Hopefully these Afghan chieftains are also aware there are natural alternatives to the highly advertised pharmaceutical. Botanicals such as ashwagandha root, gotu kola leaf, or panax ginseng root extract are natural treatments to stimulate sexual vitality. Of course, it's always best to talk to your doctor first, because the CIA operatives might not be licensed herbalists.
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This information was courtesy of Health Sciences Institute

All natural skin care

Here's a great all-natural and inexpensive facial treatment to nourish and tighten your skin. And you don't need any fancy creams - all you need is an egg. I got this idea from Robin McGraw on the Rachel Ray show. She's been using this since she and Dr. Phil were first married. She is 55 years old and looks amazing. I've started doing this treatment myself, and it really does make your skin feel clean and more firm.

Simply divide the yolk and the white of an egg in separate bowls. Whip both up a bit with a fork. Then apply the egg yolk all over your clean face using a small brush. She uses a fan brush she purchases at the craft store. She also recommends taking the egg yoke all the way up to your lower lashes - no need to avoid the eye area like so many of the other facial treatments. Leave it on your face for 10 minutes, then wash off. Then apply the egg white all over your face to tighten the skin - leave on as long as you'd like, then wash off.

Here's another tip from Robin - instead of paying top dollar for your makeup brushes at the cosmetic counter, you can buy the same brushes at a craft store for a fraction of the cost. She says her entire brush collection cost only $12.

I've written previously about the toxic ingredients in skin care products, so you might want to read that article also. There are other choices available to you to maintain soft and healthy skin.

As far as moisturizer, consider rubbing coconut oil into your skin before applying makeup, and at night before going to bed. Not only does it moisturize, it also kills bacteria and is helpful as an antiseptic and anti-fungal agent.

And regarding makeup, do you know what's in your favorite makeup. Remember that the skin is the largest organ of the body, and if there are harmful chemicals and preservatives in your makeup, they're entering your body. Consider natural mineral makeup as an alternative. Because of my eczema, I'm very careful of what I put on my skin. I've been using Affordable Mineral Makeup for about 2 years and am very happy with it. Many other mineral makeups I've checked contain corn starch as a cheap filler, and they charge a lot more for the product, and they may not be as pure as they lead you to believe. Affordable Mineral Makeup has a wide variety of colors to match any skin tone, it does a nice job at covering imperfections without looking thick or cakey like some makeup can, and a little bit goes a long way so it lasts a long time. And they are a "cruelty free company" (no animal testing).