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Study Reveals Senate Republicans Need a Nap to Fix Healthcare

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Republicans in both the House and Senate have had 7-years to create their replacement for Obamacare. From the moment, the Affordable Care Act was passed and forced upon the American people, Republicans have been saying they wanted to repeal and replace it with a better plan, but evidently, no one worked on that better plan until after last November’s election. House Republicans have voted at least half a dozen times to repeal Obamacare, over the past 6 years, but their actions were in vain as there was no way Barack Obama would ever sign a bill that repealed his flagship legislation and Republicans never had enough votes to override Obama’s appeal. Their gesture to repeal was nothing more than a gesture for their constituents and nothing more.

Yet through it all, they never worked on a replacement program. The actions of congressional Republicans remind me of millions of school kids who wait until the night before a paper is due to start writing it. The end result of those last-minute papers are about the same as the apparent results of the Republican plans (House and Senate) that have been seen so far.

Senate Democrats have offered to work with Senate Republicans to come up with a workable and acceptable replacement, but Republican leaders say all Democrats want to do is to delete what they don’t like and insert their plans, which are different than what Republicans want.

Because the current Senate version was so hastily and poorly constructed, there is not enough support, even among Republicans, to pass the measure, so a vote has been postponed until after the July 4th holiday recess. It just seems that Republicans aren’t able to concentrate and think properly.

Perhaps what they need to do is take a short nap every day to help them come up with a workable and acceptable healthcare plan?

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder, taking a 15-to-20-minute nap increases learning, memory, awareness and also helps a person think more clearly. All of these are desperately needed by congressional Republicans.

A report on the study reads in part:

Studies have shown that short naps can improve awareness and productivity. You don’t need much; just 15 to 20 minutes can make a world of difference.

“According to a study from the University of Colorado Boulder discovered that children who didn’t take their afternoon nap didn’t display much joy and interest, had a higher level of anxiety, and lower problem solving skills compared to other children who napped regularly. The same goes for adults as well. Researchers with Berkeley found that adults who regularly take advantage of an afternoon nap have a better learning ability and improved memory function. Why is napping so essential? Because it gives your brain a reboot, where the short-term memory is cleared out and our brain becomes refreshed with new defragged space.”

“How long should you nap?”

“According to experts, 10 to 20 minutes is quite enough to refresh your mind and increase your energy and alertness. The sleep isn’t as deep as longer naps and you’re able to get right back at your day immediately after waking up. If you nap for 30 minutes you may deal with a 30-minute grogginess period because you wake up just as your body started entering a deeper stage of sleep. The same can be said if you sleep for an hour, but on the other hand, these 60-minute naps provide an excellent memory boost. The longest naps— lasting about 90 minutes—are recommended for those people who just don’t get enough sleep at night. Since it’s a complete sleep cycle, it can improve emotional memory and creativity.”

If only American employers would realize the significance of an afternoon power nap.

Could the solution be so simple that all Senate Republicans need is to take a 15-20-minute nap at least once a day to help them develop their replacement for Obamacare?

Women Share What Does and Doesn’t Work for Thinning Hair

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How many of you ladies have noticed that your hair started thinning by the time your reached 40 or 50 years of age? Be honest. Don’t hide the truth as most do. Did you know that some experts in the field claim that up to 50% of women suffer some form or degree of hair loss by the time they turn 50?

Hair loss in women is rarely spoken of in public or with others. It’s just too embarrassing for most women to admit that their hair is thinning as they get older. Hair loss is a male thing, isn’t it? NO! It’s not!

One of the problems many experts and researchers have in dealing with the issue of age related hair loss in women is that so many of them won’t talk about it. It’s one of those silent and private things one just doesn’t discuss or share.

Fortunately, a handful of ladies did talk about it and shared some of the tips they have used to deal with their thinning hair.

One New Jersey woman said she noticed her hair thinning all at once back in 2011. She tried doing everything that anyone told her, including changing shampoos, trimming her hair more often, not brushing her hair as frequently, extra conditioner and even the shampoos that are supposed to add volume to your hair, but nothing worked. She turned to home remedies including avocado and oatmeal soaks, but again nothing. Finally, she confided in her doctor who diagnosed her as having Hashimoto’s disease. It’s a condition where the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland which usually causes chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, also known as hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid gland. An underactive or low thyroid can result in thinning hair and most generally affects middle-aged women, but can affect men and younger and older women as well. Once diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, her doctor put her on thyroid medication and in about a year, most of her hair grew back.

One 51-year-old woman from Australia said she started noticing her hair thinning shortly after she turned 40. She went to the doctor who tested her for thyroid function and vitamin deficiencies, but everything came back normal. She was then sent to a dermatologist who recommend she take zinc supplements and use a minoxidil-based topical treatment. However, the zinc was hard on her system and blood work showed her zinc levels were normal, so she stopped taking it. After using a 2% minoxidil solution, she found the odor unbearable and felt like it stayed with her all day at work. It also left her hair looking greasy and dirty, so she stopped that. Next, she turned to vitamin B12 and biotin, but they didn’t restore any of the thinning hair. So far, nothing has helped her.

One Colombian woman said she has had alopecia since she was 19. She visited several dermatologists, a general practitioner, a Chinese herbal doctor and a hair loss specialist. She tried herbal remedies, 7 different shampoos, specialized diets cold laser treatment, vitamins, biotin, hair oil, teas, prescription meds and even changed her birth control, but like the woman from Australia, nothing worked. She got the best results from a special brand of shampoo and condition, but said they were so expensive, she couldn’t afford to keep using them.

A Texas woman said she always had thin hair, but when she was pregnant, she lost about 25% of her hair and then after giving birth she experienced the postpartum shed. Doctors just dismissed her concern over her thinner hair after running blood work and finding everything normal. She then ended up at an endocrinologist who prescribed spironolactone. After using it, she lost even more hair. She turned to Rogaine, using it twice a day for 6-months, but saw no positive results, but her hair follicles seemed to continue to get smaller, leaving her with what she described as hair that looked like cotton candy. She turned to wearing toppers and wigs. She said her faux hair made her look and feel normal, but when she took them off at night, she came back down to earth, looking older, more tired and even heavier.

A Virginia woman related that she felt that stress was a contributing factor to her hair loss. She tried a number of volumizing shampoos and they made her hair appear thicker, it never really helped stop or reverse her hair loss. She has been using Rogaine faithfully for two years and said that it seemed to stop any further hair loss, but has not helped regrow any of her lost hair. She believes that if she stops using the Rogaine, she’ll lose more hair.

Lastly, another Virginia woman, this one is 66 years young, said that early on Rogaine made her dizzy and gave her heart palpitations. It’s since been improved, but now her skin reacts to it. She is seeing a specialist who is using a new therapy called Acell + PRP Injection Therapy. The doctor injects her own blood into her scalp to help stimulate hair growth. He warned that at her age, it may not work, but so far, it seems that it has helped stop any further hair loss. She also recommends washing hair in warm water, rinsing in cold, only coloring the roots and no more and she uses Biotage hydrating shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner do help make her hair look thicker, which helps to cover some of the hair loss.

Sometimes it can be something as simple as low thyroid and many other times, nothing may work. However, don’t hide be silent about your hair loss. Do talk to a doctor as it may be something treatable, but don’t get too disappointed if it isn’t easily treated. There are many products that claim to regrow hair, but it seems from these ladies that few if any really work. Perhaps a wig, topper and some kind of hair piece may be the only solution for many of you.

Will Your Healthcare Insurance Cover Surgical Mistakes?

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Currently, everyone is wondering what’s going to happen to their healthcare coverage. If you have employer provided coverage, then you are in a great situation. If you don’t have employer provided healthcare coverage, then your healthcare coverage is truly up in the air, waiting to see what Republicans are going to end up with to push on the American people.

Will you be able to afford coverage under a new GOPcare plan? Will your policy cover the costs of any surgical mistakes made by doctors operating on you? Maybe you should also be asking if there is anything you can do to help prevent surgical mistakes from happening to you?

Doctors and surgeons have a great deal of schooling and continuous training to hone their skills, but they are human and do make mistakes. Many joke and say that’s why they call it ‘practicing’ medicine instead of actually performing medicine.

In case you’ve never thought about it, a study conducted last year by Johns Hopkins found that medical errors account for 10% of all deaths in the US; as many as 250,000 deaths a year in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death in the US.

When a doctor prescribes a treatment for something such as an illness, do you just blindly take whatever medication is prescribed or do your take time to research what they are and what side effects they may have? Sometimes, taking the wrong medication can only lead to more and serious health issues.

Among the mistakes doctors and surgeons make is what’s called ‘wrong-site surgery’. This happens when a doctor operates on the wrong person or on the wrong part of the body. The consequences of ‘wrong-site surgery’ can be extremely harmful and even deadly.

One example was a man who had been having pain in one of his testicles. The doctor found it had atrophied after being injured years early and scheduled surgery to remove it. Turns out the surgeon removed his healthy testicle, leaving him permanently sterile and short of vital male hormones.

We’ve all heard stories of doctors removing or operating on wrong organs, the wrong leg, wrong arm, etc. So, what can you as he patient do to protect yourself?

1.) Ask lots of questions. Don’t go into any medical procedure or operation if you have any questions or concerns that haven’t been answered. You have the right to learn as much as you can before undergoing a scalpel or laser or anything else.

2.) Detail everything.  Not only should you make sure you know as much as possible and gather all of the information you need, but you also need to make sure the doctor or surgeon knows everything he or she needs to know. Tell them of every medical condition and reaction you’ve ever had. Also make sure they know about every medication and over the counter medicines, vitamins and supplements you take. You and your doctor may be unaware that something you are taking could impact the procedure and/or recovery.

3.) Know your surgeon or doctor before any procedure. Frequently, your doctor may arrange for you to have surgery with a surgeon you’ve never met. If the surgeon doesn’t know you, how will he or she know they are operating on the right person?

4.) Research the procedure. Learn as much as you can about whatever procedure you are about to have. Sometimes research can find a less invasive or cheaper procedure than the one you are about to have.

5.) Find a specialist. Don’t let a general surgeon cut you open. Find someone who specializes in the procedure you are having. The better experienced a specialist is, the less likely he or she may make any mistakes.

6.) Highlight the surgery site yourself. If allowed by the doctor or surgeon, mark or highlight the area or part of your body that is about to be operated on. If it’s the right leg, then mark the right leg and if necessary, write on your other leg – WRONG LEG.

7.) Have a friend or family member with you. Don’t go it alone. Not only should you bring a friend of family member, but make sure they know as much as you do about the procedure you are having.

8.) Ask your insurance provider if your policy covers medical mistakes and correcting them. Not every policy does.

Do everything you can to prepare yourself and whoever is going to accompany you, for whatever procedure you are having. The more you know, the better you can help prevent mistakes on the part of your doctor or surgeon. It may save you a lot of money and a lot of misery.

Healthy Kids: Avoiding Summer Weight Gain

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[Citizen-Times] — Naturally you would think that it would be easy for your child to stay healthy and not gain weight over summer break.

Over the summer there are more opportunities to get outdoors, have access to fresher and more cost effective fruits and vegetables, and there isn’t as much hustle to get to school or other activities. However, there is more research coming out that children are gaining at a faster rate over the summer than during the school year.

One study looked at 18,000 kids from kindergarten to second grade and tracked their body mass index (BMI). It found that obesity increased from 8.9 percent to 11.5 percent over that time period with all the accelerated gain being over the two summer months.

Some reasons could be more frequent snacking — increased calories, more screen time, less activity and poor sleep schedules. Kids get bored or stay up later than usual and want something to snack on. Calories from several snacks per day can add up quickly. Just 1 ounce of chips (one serving) is 140 calories, and not that many of us eat only 1 ounce. If you then drink something along with your snack, like juice or soda, that adds another 100-150 calories. So eating 200-300 calories twice or more per day over two months can really increase weight gain.

Different levels of activity also change in the summer. A lot of kids are spending more time in front of the screen — computers, tablets, phones, video games or TV. Kids complain about how hot it is during the day, which can prevent a child from wanting to go outside. Summer camps are great, but are usually only for one or two weeks at a time. Sitting for 8-10 hours, then going out for 30 minutes to an hour doesn’t undo those many hours not being active

What can we do as parents?

Better snacks. Try to have healthy snack options and limit the number per day. Choose low-calorie snacks that are filling, like fruit, low-fat yogurt, half sandwiches and vegetables with light dressing or other healthy dip like salsa or hummus. Limit the higher-calorie junk foods and encourage drinking water throughout the day.

Screen breaks. Encourage your child to take frequent breaks from the screen — going for a quick walk, bike ride or play a sport for 20-30 minutes every few hours. Breaking up the activity is much easier than trying to do several hours at once. The recommended screen time limit is two hours per day. If it’s hot, find a cool water activity to do like water balloons, sprinklers, small pools or the local swimming pool.

Keep on schedule. Having the same sleep and meal routine is best. Waking and going to bed around the same time every night is shown to prevent increased appetite and keep the BMI low. Having family meals also promotes healthy eating habits.

Andrea Branton, RD, LDN, is a pediatric dietitian at Mission Children’s Hospital. To learn more about the services at Mission Children’s Hospital, visit missionchildrens.org.

How Scorpion Venom Could Help Save Lives and Millions of Dollars

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When I attended university, I used to volunteer in the venomous animal lab. Among the many things I got to do, I helped milk a variety of venomous snakes including several species of rattlesnakes and cobras. The venom was used for the production of anti-venom and for medical research, as there are many different properties found in venom, some which have been medically useful.

In addition to milking snakes for their venom, I spent a lot of time milking scorpions for their venom. I’ve had many people ask me how do you milk a scorpion and I jokingly respond with a very short stool. Actually, the proper way is to gently pick up the scorpion by the tail with a pair of forceps, but you have to make sure you don’t squeeze to tightly and injure the scorpion. Then you place a very small hollow glass tube called a pipette up to the tip of the scorpion’s stinger and then touch the venom sac, located just below the stinger, against a very low voltage current. The electricity causes the venom sac to contract, expelling the venom which is then collected in the pipette.

The amount of venom is small, since the scorpions are small. We concentrated on local scorpions, mostly the larger hairy scorpion and the smaller and more deadly bark scorpion. It takes many scorpions to produce a gram of venom, which is then used for anti-venom and medical research. During my time there, I estimate that I milked at least half a million scorpions and never got stung while doing it.

That’s why the latest news on the use of scorpion venom in targeting cancer cells was so interesting to me.

Researchers discovered a compound in the venom of the death stalker scorpion that when combined with a dye that glows and then injected into a patient with cancer, it adheres to just the cancer cells. This allows doctors to use very treatments, including surgery, against the cancer cells or tumor without injuring or harming normal healthy tissue.

Researchers involved in the discovery said:

“It really has the potential to very much change how we do care.”

Dr. Rowena Schwartz, a doctor at the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy commented on the new discovery:

“The excitement of it is that it’s a way to identify tumor tissue separate from healthy tissue.”

“I think it’s because a chemo toxin was identified was bound to the cancer tissue, and not to normal cells.”

“To take a venom from a scorpion and synthetically make it without the poison and then hook it to something that can be florescent under a laser light, means that then you can visualize it.” 

“As we learn more about cancer cells and the difference between non-cancer cells, it gives you potential targets for treatment and in this case targets for visualization. And I think that’s one of the most exciting things that’s going on in cancer.”

The new targeting technique is still being tested, but if the tests continue to show the results they have so far, it could make a huge impact in cancer treatment. What’s more, it could save hundreds of millions of dollars in medical bills and healthcare costs.

One of the major drawbacks in treating cancer these days is the harming or destruction of surrounding healthy tissue. Quite often, much of the healing of the damaged healthy tissue adds to the lengthy recovery process and worse. The loss of healthy normal tissue can result in other medical complications.

If doctors could clearly see just the cancer cells and be able to differentiate them from surrounding healthy tissue, it would make removing just the cancer much easier and less invasive.

As Republicans in Congress try to come up with a workable and affordable replacement for Obamacare, the use of scorpion venom in marking of cancer cells, could drastically reduce the overall cost of a nationalized healthcare program, which in the long run, could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

What are the Obamacare Taxes GOP Considering Keeping?

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There has been a lot of talk over the past week about the possibility of the Senate Republicans keeping many or all of the taxes that were hidden in Obamacare. But what are those taxes and why were they in Obamacare to begin with?

When Barack Obama ran for the White House, he promised that he would not raise taxes on middle and lower-class Americans. Then he turned around and tried to hide 20 different tax increases in the Affordable Care Act, most of which directly and indirectly impact the middle and lower-class people. Publicly, it appeared that Obama was keeping his promise not to raise taxes on most of us, while secretly, he was raising taxes, enough to generate close $1 trillion a year.

And now, reports are indicating that the GOP Senators working on their healthcare plan to replace Obamacare, will likely keep most, if not all, of those hidden tax increases.

Obamacare contains at least 20 different provisions which either raise existing taxes or creates new ones and many of these affect Americans making less than $250,000 per year which is his definition of middle class. Worse yet is that five of these taxes will impact the elderly the most; who in most cases can least afford it.

First is an increase tax on dividends which began on January 2013. The prior tax rate for dividend income was 15%, but that increased to 39.6% for anyone receiving dividend income. Previously, taxpayers 55 years and older received nearly 70% of paid dividends according to an analysis of IRS data. Anyone making more than $250,000 per year now have to pay an additional 3.8% surtax on dividends which makes their dividend tax a whopping 43.4%.

The second tax also took effect in 2013 and that is the medical device excise tax. All medical device manufactures now pay an excise tax on all of the medial devices they produce such as wheelchairs, pacemakers, walkers, knee braces, back braces, insulin pumps, home hospital beds, etc. Seniors are the largest purchasers of these devices and will assuredly see the prices for them increase to offset the taxes paid by the manufacturers.

The third tax issue that is being felt by all Americans is the reduction in the allowable medical itemized deductions on your federal income taxes. Previously, taxpayers had to subtract 7.5% of their adjustable gross income from their itemized medical deductions. As of 2013, everyone has to subtract 10% of the adjustable gross income instead of 7.5%, thus reducing the amount of medical deductions one can claim on their federal income taxes. If a couples adjusted gross income was $50,000 a year, they have to subtract $5,000 from the medical expenses instead of the $3,750, a difference of $1,250, which is a lot for many families and seniors. Again, according to IRS figures, about 60% of those claiming itemized medical deductions are 55-years-old and older.

The fourth tax to impact the elderly the most was the excise tax penalty for those who were not in compliance with the individual mandate part of Obamacare. As of 2014 those individuals who do not have qualified health insurance will pay a penalty in the form of an excise tax when filing their federal income taxes. In 2016, that penalty was increase to 2.5% of your adjusted gross income or $1,390 for anyone making less than $55,600 per year. A number of younger retirees are not old enough for Medicare and no longer are covered by their former employer’s coverage. This group is going to get hit the hardest. Additionally, many elderly are trying to survive on very tight budgets and cannot afford any kind of health insurance. This excise tax will also hit them hard.

The fifth tax is commonly referred to as the Cadillac Plan excise tax which is scheduled to take effect in 2018. Believe it or not, this plan will impose a 40% excise tax on high –cost insurance plans. For senior couples, this means if you are paying more than $29,450 for a family plan, you will be imposed a 40% excise tax for your exorbitant health insurance. A single senior paying more than $11,500 a year will also be slapped with the 40% excise tax. Seniors with extra insurance to cover such things as cancer and chronic illnesses or disabilities will be the ones most likely to be gouged with the Cadillac Plan excise tax. In other words, if you are paying for extra coverage to cover life threatening illnesses and disabilities, you either need to lower your coverage so it will cost you more out of pocket or Obamacare will tax you more which will cost you more out of pocket.

Mind you that these five taxes are all on top of the other fifteen taxes that will affect everyone including seniors. It’s just that these five will hit seniors harder than they will the rest of Americans.

President Trump is promising a new healthcare plan that will be great for everyone, but if that’s the case, then why keep the hidden taxes which hurts seniors and many middle and lower-class Americans? It doesn’t make sense, but when you realize that any form of nationalized healthcare is a socialist plan, then you quickly realize that no replacement will be good for the people or the economy.

Tattoos & Raw Oysters Can Kill You!

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How many of you have a tattoo? How many of you with tattoos were warned of the dangers and health risks getting a tattoo exposed you to? Were you told that you could die as a result of getting your tattoo?

Are you contemplating getting a tattoo? If you are, be warned as there is a serious risk involved that could result in your death. It may make you think twice before you use your skin as an art display.

Yeah, I know that millions of people have tattoos and have never had any ill effects from getting them, HOWEVER, not everyone falls in that category. Consider what happened to a 31-year-old man who got a tattoo on his leg and then died a few days later.

First of all, everyone getting a tattoo should be warned to not go swimming for a period of time, generally several weeks to allow the skin to heal and seal. This is because a tattoo is made by many small punctures through the skin. Those holes in the skin can allow harmful bacteria to enter the body and many bodies of water, from oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, streams and even swimming pools can and often do harbor dangerous bacteria.

That’s what happen to the man. Five days after getting his tattoo, he went swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Only a few days later, he got sick and started to chill and run a fever. The skin on his leg where the tattoo had just been applied became red and inflamed. The man went to the hospital and shortly thereafter, the area of the tattoo turned from red to purple and developed large fluid filled blisters. The speed at which his condition got worse concerned doctors and led them to believe that the man had contracted a bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus.

The doctors started immediate treatment, giving the man strong anti-biotics from the time he was admitted and they diagnosed the cause. However, despite the aggressive treatment he was given, the man developed septic shock and died. His condition was complicated by his having a chronic liver disease.

Vibrio vulnificus is a form of deadly flesh-eating bacteria. It multiplies rapidly and literally eats a person’s flesh and ultimately killing them. This particular bacteria is halophilic, meaning it requires salt water, which is why it is found in ocean water. It also requires warmer temperatures which is why it is more common in the summer than other times of the year. Not only can a person contract this deadly virus by swimming in the ocean after getting a tattoo, but it can also enter the body via any wound on the skin and by eating infected raw oysters.

In 2016, a 67-year-old man from Maryland had recently suffered a cut on his leg but decided to go swimming near his home in Ocean City. He contracted Vibrio vulnificus through the cut on his leg. In an attempt to save the man’s life, doctors amputate his leg, but the bacteria had already entered his bloodstream. He died within four days.

In June 2015, it was reported that there were already over 10 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Florida in the early part of summer. Two of the 10 cases died. One 26-year-old man died within 2 days of swimming in the ocean. This report also stated that some of the 10 cases so far had contracted the deadly flesh-eating bacteria from eating raw oysters. It’s also possible to contract the bacteria from eating other infected raw seafood, but seems most prevalent in oysters.

Now let me ask how many of you enjoy eating raw oysters? Do you think you’ll continue to do so after reading this? Are they worth the risk?

Bottom line, avoid swimming in the ocean with any open wound or even one with a scab that is healing. Also, avoid eating raw oysters and other raw seafood.

12 Surprising Beauty Uses for Baking Soda

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You probably have baking soda in your pantry to use in homemade baked goods, and maybe a box in your refrigerator to absorb odors. It turns out that this $1 kitchen staple can also be used as a cheap DIY alternative to many expensive spa treatments. Arm & Hammer, a household products manufacturer best known for its bright-orange boxes of baking soda, suggests these solutions for smoother hair, brighter skin, whiter teeth, and more.

Hair Clarifier

If mousses, serums, sprays, and other products build up in your hair, in can take on a vaguely sticky feeling and limp appearance. Baking soda to the rescue: sprinkle a quarter-size amount of baking soda into a dollop of your regular shampoo. Wash and rinse as usual. Your hair will be shinier and more manageable when you’re done.

Dry Shampoo Alternative

We love dry shampoo for mornings when we’ve overslept, for quick post-gym touchups, and for hot summer days when we’re greasy by 5 p.m. When you need to look presentable in a flash and don’t have a can of dry shampoo on hand, sprinkle a few pinches of baking soda onto your roots, tousle your hair, and then run a brush through your mane.

Hairbrush cleaner

Take a close look at your hairbrush and you may be totally grossed out by what you see built up toward the base of the bristles. Rather than tossing it right into the garbage can, remove this product residue by soaking your brushes and combs in a basin of warm water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda for about 20 minutes. Rinse, and then allow to dry on a towel before using.

Facial scrub

Love that deep-clean feeling you get from a facial scrub with microbeads? These products may do wonders for your skin, but they’re also doing a number on our environment. These tiny plastic beads slip through water filtration systems and are making their way into our streams and oceans, posing risk to fish and other wildlife. A safe alternative: Make your own exfoliating facial scrub using baking soda. Make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Rub onto your face with gentle, circular strokes, then rinse with warm water.

Body Exfoliator

Your skin will look dull and ashy if you allow dry, dead cells to build up on the surface. Speed cell turnover and get an enviable all-over glow by exfoliating once a week. No need to buy an expensive scrub; make your own with baking soda by using the same formula as your face: one part water to three parts baking soda.

Artificial Tan Remover

Have you ever applied self-tanner expecting a summery bronzed glow and instead ended up with orange skin or unsightly streaks? Next time you have a self-tanner mishap, you don’t have to wait for it to fade away. Use the body exfoliator formula—one part water to three parts baking soda—to gently scrub it away.

Deodorant

If you have sensitive skin, you may be able to use a dusting of baking soda in place of store-bought deodorant. Baking soda neutralizes acids and bases, so it removes odors. It also won’t stain your clothes the way many antiperspirants can.

Razor Burn Soother

A razor burned bikini line can be painful, not to mention unsightly. Soothe your sensitive skin with a solution of 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Allow the solution to dry on your skin (it will take about 5 minutes), and then rinse with cool water. Men can also use this same formula for a pre-shave or after-shave treatment on their face as long as they avoid the eye area.

Nail Scrub

Instead of snipping off your cuticles after pushing them back, which can lead to infection, try using a baking soda scrub to exfoliate and smooth. Just dip a nail brush into a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water, run in a circular motion over your hands and fingers, and rinse clean with warm water. Then apply nail polish as usual.

Footbath

You can repeat the nail scrub on your toes, and you can take your at-home pedicure a step further by making a soothing footbath using a solution of thee parts baking soda to one part warm water. Let your feet soak in a basin for about 10 minutes, and then apply a rich lotion to your legs and feet. Wrap a warm towel around them, and let sit for another 5 to 10 minutes. Your legs and feet will then be salon smooth.

Itchy Skin Reliever

You don’t have to settle for skin that’s dry, itchy, and uncomfortable in the cold winter months.Taking a warm bath (not hot—that’ll make your dry skin problem worse!) with a half-cup of baking soda will soften and soothe your whole body. You can also take a cool baking soda bath in the summer to relieve sunburn or bug bites.

Tooth Whitener

For whiter teeth without all the chemicals that come with home whitening kits, simply sprinkle baking soda into your palm, dip a damp toothbrush into it, and brush your teeth for about a minute. Note: you shouldn’t use baking soda as a replacement for toothpaste. Toothpaste contains fluoride, which is important for preventing cavities.

Source: health.com

Is Your Body Harboring Millions of Dollars?

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How many of you would like to get your hands on a million dollars or more? Silly question? It’s human nature to want more than what we have. That’s what leads to many wars and power-hungry politicians and world leaders.

That’s also why so many get-rich-quick schemes have bilked millions of dollars from people, who usually cannot afford it, who desire to get rich quick and improve their lifestyle. Pyramid schemes with promises of making people wealthy still thrive with only a few at the top getting rich and many being discouraged after shelling out hundreds of dollars.

What would it mean to you to learn that you had a rare trait that was worth millions of dollars to researchers and pharmaceutical companies?

That’s what happened to Ted Slavin, whose story was told in a best-selling and now movie – The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Many people make ends meet by selling their blood plasma. Depending on where one lives, you can make anywhere between $40 to $100 a week, just selling your blood. But what if you found that someone was willing to pay $10 for every milliliter of your blood?

Doesn’t sound like much? If you are a blood donor, a person gives about a pint of blood at a time. Let’s do some simple math. There are 29.573 milliliters in an ounce and there are 16 ounces to a pint. At $10 a milliliter, an ounce of blood would be worth about $295.73 which means a pint of blood would be worth about $4,731.68. On average, a person can donate blood 24 times a year, so at $4,731 a donation, that could tally up to about $113,544 a year or about $1.02 million in just 9 years. Don’t know about you, but that’s a whole lot more than I make.

So, what made Ted Slavin’s blood so valuable?

Slavin was born with hemophilia – the inability of the blood to clot. As he grew into an adult, he received numerous blood transfusions to help replace blood lost and to help provide the vital clotting factors he so desperately needed. A big negative about all of the blood transfusions was that Slavin was exposed to hepatitis B on different occasions. However, he never contracted the illness. When his doctor examined a sample of Slavin’s blood, he discovered that it was loaded with y-shaped proteins that acted as antibodies against the hepatitis B virus.

Slavin’s blood filled with the hepatitis B antibodies was quickly sought after by pharmaceutical companies. They wanted the antibodies to study and replicate in hopes of producing a treatment and/or vaccine to ward off hepatitis B. At the time, Slavin needed money, like most of us and the pharmaceutical companies wanted his blood. So, Slavin began selling his blood for to the companies for $10 a milliliter. Soon, selling his blood became his sole income source, but it more than provided for all of his needs.

The vast majority of us probably don’t house some special anti-body or chemical in our bodies that is worth a fortune, but then again, one never knows. There are hundreds of different viruses and bacteria out there that attack the human body. What if your blood was found to contain a wealth of antibodies against something important, like what happened with Ted Slavin? Kind of puts a different meaning to blood money, doesn’t it?

What Can You Add To Your Water That Aid In Digestion And Promote Cleansing?

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Because water is so essential to the body and its processes, the benefits of drinking clean and sufficient water regularly are unbounded. In order to ensure that you are getting enough water, it is a good idea to carry a water bottle with you when you are on-the-go. Not only will this remind you to drink more water, but it will also give you an opportunity to have clean, filtered water at your fingertips no matter where you are.

I prefer to drink from a glass water bottle so that no chemicals from plastic water bottles leech into my water (namely Dioxin and BPA). Plastic water bottles are especially not good when left in a hot car/atmosphere. I know there are many different kinds of plastic, but I just decide to go glass to avoid any chemicals in plastic altogether. This Lifefactory water bottle is my favorite because it has the silicone sleeve and is easy to carry around. I also prefer to drink fluoride-free water and do so by using my Clearly Filtered water pitcher. Although fluoride is said to help with tooth decay, it is toxic and we may receive too much of it, which may cause problems for our body (specifically thyroid).

I’d also like to note that I do not put all seven things from the list below in my water at one time. I guess you could, but it might taste a little funky. I usually just do 1-3 things depending on what I have or what I think would go good together. I like putting lemon juice and apple cider vinegar (sometimes with ginger too), cloves and mint leaves, lime juice and cucumber, or lemon juice and cinnamon together.

1. Freshly-Squeezed Lemon or Lime Juice

Lemons and limes are a good source of Vitamin C, which is a very important antioxidant because it helps neutralize free radicals in the body. Lemons and limes are also good for alkalizing and cleansing the body as well as aiding in digestion because their make up is very similar to our own digestive enzymes. I like to squeeze about a half of a lemon or lime in my water bottle.

 

2. Fresh Mint Leaves

I have a spearmint plant out in the backyard that is growing like crazy so I started adding them to my water bottle. Mint leaves can also be grown inside as well in a pot by the windowsill. Mint improves the flow of bile and can help with activating salivary glands and digestive enzymes that help absorb the nutrients from your food. It is also a calming and soothing herb that can be used to settle an upset stomach.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

Over the summer, I was living on Mackinac Island and got a cold. I didn’t have any natural remedies with me so I looked for some natural foods to help me feel better. I headed to the tiny market and found some Bragg’s ACV. I’ve read about many health benefits of consuming ACV and started adding a couple tablespoons to my water. I liked it so much that I started adding it to the water bottle that I took to work almost everyday! Even though it is normally bitter, it started tasting almost sweet in time, and I even craved it periodically as I kept drinking it.

I still love regularly adding it to my water because it is said to help with eliminating toxins and killing bacteria, maintaining a healthy weight, and improving digestion overall. And just like lemons and limes, ACV can also help balance the PH in your body. I like to get the unfiltered, organic ACV with the ‘mother’; a great one is made by Bragg’s.

4. Cloves

In addition to stimulating digestion, cloves can also be used for ailments of the digestive system and are thought to have anti-parasitic properties. I place about 3-5 whole cloves in my water and let them sit in there to flavor the water. When I’m finished with the water, I just eat the cloves because they have many healing properties (beware, they’re pretty hot!).

5. Ginger Root

Another one for stimulating the flow of digestive juices! Ginger is also another wonderful remedy for indigestion, cramps, nausea and gas that has been used traditionally as a medicine for thousands of years. It is an anti-inflammatory, anti-viral root that boosts circulation and may also kill cancer cells! I dice up about a thumb-sized amount of ginger and add it to my water. Like the cloves, I eat it at the end, but it is also very hot!

6. Cucumber Slices

Cucumbers add a nice fresh taste to your water, and can be eaten while drinking the water (because they float!) to help eliminate toxins from the digestive system and continue to hydrate the body. They not only contain antioxidants and fiber, but they may also help with the production of insulin in the pancreas. I like to cut the slices into quarters so I can eat them easily as I am drinking my water.

7. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another traditional herb that also anti-fungal and anti-viral and is used to relieve indigestion. It may also help with circulation, metabolizing fats during digestion, and regulating blood-glucose levels by slowing the time it takes for food to go from the stomach to the small intestine. Place a small amount of a cinnamon stick in your water and let it flavor the water just like you would with the cloves.

 

 

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