Skip Expensive Spa Treatments!

WHEN I remember to do this, I love the results.

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Dietbet. Tomorrow's Test Run Has Begun.

Yep, I'm in. I'll let you know how it goes! 28 days to lose 4% of my weight. This I can do. I think.

Two thumbs up!

I've recently packed on a few pounds.  Easy to do, right?  Not to worry.  I just received a great little gadget as a gift.  And I'm loving the ease with which the data is recorded and the fact that I can quickly access the info via phone or computer. It's far more than a pedometer/see specs.  

You, too, may find this handy device helpful in walking or running your way to a leaner, healthier, longer-lasting body.

Fitbit Wireless Activity/Sleep Tracker

"This device:

• Accurately tracks daily steps, stairs climbed, distance, calories burned, and activity level via 3-d motion sensor and altimeter technology
• Measures how long and how well you sleep - just wear it on your wrist at night with Fitbit wristband (included)
• Small and discreet enough to wear all day- tuck it into a pocket or clip it to a belt or bra
• Wirelessly uploads data to Fitbit.com; No monthly fee
• See online graphs, compete with friends, earn new badges and log food, weight and other workouts at Fitbit.com and on new iPhone app"

I could fit a bit of exercise into my life!

Make mine Mii Amo

I heard about this spa from several friends who thought it was The Most Restorative Experience Ever.  I always wanted to visit Sedona. So I signed up for the 3-night package. Did I concur with my friends’ assessments? Absolutely. Was it worth the money? Totally. 

The setting, stunning.  The food, incredible.  The therapists, exceptional. The staff, exceedingly helpful. 

Here’s Mii Amo through my lens.  B R E A T H E. Enjoy while listening to native American music, Gila River Sunrise from the album Heart of the Wind: Music For Native American Flute & Drums by Robert Tree Cody.

Read what others have to say.

Group rates available. I want to go back next fall. Anyone else game?

Lather up instead

Dang, just when I thought I was being super smart stashing little bottles everywhere.  Bummer.  Back to the basics.  Good old soap and H2O to the rescue.

The Hidden Health Dangers of Hand Sanitizers

By Seth Fiegerman

Next time you use hand sanitizer, you may want to think about washing your hands after.

The Food and Drug Administration is currently looking into the safety of triclosan, a chemical found in some hand sanitizers, as well as in antibacterial soaps and body washes.

According to The Washington Post, several new studies have forced the FDA to reevaluate the safety of triclosan. “The FDA said that recent scientific studies raise questions about whether triclosan disrupts the body's endocrine system and whether it helps to create bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics,” the Post reports.

So how common is this particular chemical? The Post reports that traces of it are found in the urine of 75% of the population. That basically puts it on par with McFlurries and Peeps (during Easter at least.) In addition to sanitizers, the FDA says triclosan can be found in clothing, kitchenware, furniture and toys.

For now, the FDA wants to make it clear that the chemical is “not known to be hazardous to humans.” However, triclosan is also not proven to add any health benefits to the products that include it, which makes you wonder why it’s in there at all. According to the FDA, “Consumers concerned about using hand and body soaps with triclosan should wash with regular soap and water.”

Even before this, there was a debate about the merits of using hand sanitizer. Many have argued that these sanitizers fall short of their claim to kill 99.9% of all germs. And medical professionals have known for a while that sanitizers should not be used to clean your hands after touching dirt or body fluids. Your best bet in these cases is to wash your hands. In fact, just the force of the running water can be as crucial to eliminating germs as the cleaning product itself.



Happy Weekend?

Try as I did several times, I absolutely could not access this site Friday.  I hope it was a restorative weekend for you.  It was very much that on this end.  I'll be writing about this past weekend's experience once my photos are in order.

Instead, Happy Monday, friends! 

Here's info well worth considering and passing on to those you know with little loved ones:

Digital Baby Monitors: Are they Safe?

SAFEKIDS.CO.UK

Children may be more vulnerable from exposure to any form of electro magnetic energy, such as that generated by mobile telephones, and to a degree baby monitors, because of their developing nervous systems, the greater absorption of energy in the tissue and a longer lifetime of exposure.

Lately, there has been some discussion regarding the safety of Digital baby monitors. Digital baby monitors use digital communication in their link between the mobile station and the base station.

Philips is one example of a company that uses the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard for baby monitors. The company states that this technology eliminates interference from other wireless equipment and ensures privacy.

Digital technology, due to its 'pulsed' nature appears to be more harmful at lower levels of power than the older analogue technology, which is potentially more prone to interference but creates a more 'even' output without spikes.

Philips, in its documentation states that the radiation/emission of its DECT baby monitors is not dangerous to children: "The level of electro-smog is 10,000 times lower than internationally accepted safety norms. For total peace-of-mind, we recommend placing the baby monitor at least one metre away from the baby."

The distance from a transmitter is important, since the power drops off as the square of the distance. If you double the distance of any baby monitor, or transmitter from your baby therefore, the level of electromagnetic radiation is reduced by a factor of 4.

If you are concerned about the safety of your digital baby monitor consider the following:

1. Keep any baby monitor as far from your baby as possible (at least 1 metre)
2. Remember that doubling the distance reduces the Electromagnetic radiation by a factor of 4. So 2 metres is better than 1 metre by a factor of 4!

So What is Electro-SMOG

Electro-SMOG refers to the level of man made electro magnetic energy (EME) that comes from the gadgets in our homes. Items that produce Electro-SMOG include mobile phones, microwaves, computers, TV's etc.

People who consider Electro-SMOG to be a problem say that constant exposure to this energy can result in headaches, irritability, sleeplessness, fatigue or even more serious health problems. Although there is little we can do to avoid this in our general environment due to mobile phone masts and so on, we can reduce the levels in our homes to a degree.

The number one material that amplifies EME is metal. It therefore stands to reason that the use of metal in decorating should be kept to a minimum. Choose other materials for furniture, window coverings, appliance fronts or other surfaces.

Removing computers and televisions from our children's bedrooms will reduce the level of EME. Even wooden hangers are considered preferable to metal ones.

It might well be considered that EME from baby monitors and Electro-SMOG generated by low output devices (not mobile phones!) are not issues to become massively concerned about, however, removing electrical equipment from your baby's environment wherever possible makes good sense. Where this is not possible maximise the distance between the equipment and your baby.

An Experiment?

At home, you could try the following experiment to see if Electro-SMOG is affecting your family: At night, before your family goes to bed, unplug all of these items you may have in your home: your Television, Computer, Cordless Phone base station, Wireless Computer System, and any Baby Monitors. See if this makes any difference to everyone's sleep, how you feel in the morning on awakening, and note whether you and your child seem calmer.



YIKES. But not surprising.

October 25, 2010, 5:12 pm

When Hormone Creams Expose Others to Risks

By TARA PARKER-POPE

 

Thanks, GU, for this heads up.

Veterinarians around the country are reporting a strange phenomenon: spayed dogs and cats, even some puppies and kittens, are suddenly becoming hormonal.

In female pets, the symptoms resemble heat: swollen genitals, bloody discharge and behavioral problems. Male animals are showing up with swollen breast tissue and hair loss. Standard treatments and even repeated operations have had no effect.

Now vets have identified the culprit. The pets were all owned by women who used hormone creams on their hands, arms and legs to counter symptoms of menopause. Animals who licked or cuddled their owners, or rubbed up against their legs, were being inadvertently exposed to doses of hormone drugs.

These anecdotal reports, about 20 of which were first collected by the Veterinary Information Network, a news service for veterinarians, suggest that many women are not taking proper precautions when using topical hormone products — putting not only pets but also family members at risk for hormone exposure.

“The dogs are licking and rubbing the treated area and absorbing the drug, which is putting them back into heat,” said Dr. Terry Clekis, a veterinarian in Bradenton, Fla. Dr. Clekis has seen about five cases of pet exposure to menopause creams, including a dog that appeared to go into heat about six months after being spayed.

Dr. Clekis feared he had left remnants of ovarian tissue behind after the spaying. So he repeated it, but found nothing. It was his wife, chatting with the pet owner, who discovered she was using a hormone cream. Once the owner took precautions against exposing her pet, the symptoms disappeared.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in the summer after eight children exposed to the estrogen spray Evamist showed signs of premature puberty like nipple swelling and enlarged breasts. The agency also received two reports of dogs exposed to Evamist, and last year it issued another warning after eight children were exposed to topical testosterone.

Use of topical estrogen, in the form of creams, sprays and gels, has surged since a major government study linked oral menopause drugs with a higher risk of heart attacks and cancer.

Last year, doctors wrote 440,000 prescriptions for brand-name topical estrogen products alone, nearly triple the 2006 figure, according to IMS Health, a drug information service. And those numbers do not capture the estimated one million women using compounded hormone creams, which are custom-mixed by pharmacists and have been widely promoted as an alternative to commercial menopause drugs — even though the F.D.A. has said these so-called bio-identical hormones are no safer than hormones from drug companies. (The compounds’ popularity surged after the former sitcom star Suzanne Somers wrote two books claiming they delivered many health benefits.)

Dr. Cynthia A. Stuenkel, an endocrinologist at the University of California, San Diego, and a former president of the North American Menopause Society, said the society was surveying its members to collect case reports of inadvertent hormone exposure to pets or children. The problem, she added, is that the doctors who prescribe the drugs typically treat older women, but the doctors who see the problems are pediatricians and veterinarians.

“We need to connect the dots between these groups so pediatricians and vets think of it early before subjecting these children and animals to extensive testing,” she said. But some vets say women aren’t forthcoming about the use of hormone drugs because it simply doesn’t occur to them that it might be related to a pet’s problem.

Dr. Walter R. Threlfall, a veterinarian who specializes in reproductive health, had a case involving a small lap dog that was experiencing a regular bloody discharge. During three different visits he asked the owner if the dog could have been exposed to an estrogen product, and she answered no each time before finally acknowledging she had been using an estrogen cream on her arm.

“The dog licks it off every night,” she told Dr. Threlfall, who said in an interview, “She spent lots of money on that dog, and I could have solved it the first time by telling her to get the dog off the estrogen cream.”

Dr. Richard Fried, owner of the Lincoln Square Veterinary Hospital in Manhattan, said he recently saw two cats that seemed to go back into heat after spaying by a different vet. Tests in one cat showed high blood levels of estrogen, but before he could spay it again, the cats’ breeder suggested that the culprit might be the owner’s hormone treatment.

“We are always warning pet owners to be careful about their medications,” Dr. Fried said. “But this is a much more insidious kind of problem that most people don’t think about.”

Dr. Stuenkel says women should be counseled about safe use of the drugs.

After using a topical hormone cream, they should thoroughly wash their hands before handling food, children or pets. Products should dry completely before the user comes into contact with people or animals, and women may want to consider changing the area where they apply the cream or covering it with long sleeves or slacks.

“We’ve learned a lot from these puppy stories,” Dr. Stuenkel said. “People are letting dogs lick their hands after using the cream or holding them when the cream is fresh on them. We need to teach women to be sensible about how they use these products.”

---

A version of this article appeared in print on Oct. 26, 2010, on page D5 of the New York edition of The Times.



Am I the last to know?

Well, THAT was interesting.  And educational. 

I woke up with a roaring urinary tract infection.  UGH. 

I had a full, non-stop day and evening in the city with friends.  No time for a stop at the doc. 

Susan, bless her big heart, reminded me about an over-the-counter product that, while it doesn't clear the infection, does relieve the painful/irritating/debilitating symptoms.  AZO:Urinary Pain Relief. 

Almost instant relief. 

One somewhat startling side affect:  ORANGE urine.  YOWZER.  

Incredibly helpful if you, too, have a long day (or vacation) with no hope of a physician's visit. 

And that's primarily why I forgot to post a blog yesterday.  

This is worth the wait!

Update on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 9:30AM by Lois

So helpful, in fact, that you might want to forward Tuesday's link to your other women friends.  

Again, this is not a substitute for a culture and treatment.  Just enough relief that you are able to carry on with your day until you are in touch with your doctor.

Only a day away

Tomorrow, I love you tomorrow...

No sleep last night.  Never, ever take a Clariten D at 5 PM.  Awake pretty much all night.  Cashing in now. More to report tomorrow.  

Declutter Your Home

Thanks, Barb, for sharing:

With these 10 tips from Natural Home! Too much stuff? You're not alone. Clutter counselors offer the following advice.

Don't try to unclutter your entire house at once. Start small, with a drawer or a shelf, then build up to problem areas (like the garage or the basement) once you've had some smaller successes. Take everything out of a drawer or closet and spread it out in front of you. You'll eliminate more and organize more efficiently if you can see it all at once. (This also gives you a chance to clear out dust and run a damp rag over surfaces.) As you clear out, have four boxes or bags marked Keep, Give Away, Recycle and Hold for One Year. (The last one's for items you don't need or use but just can't bear to part with yet. If you haven't touched them in a year, their time has come.) Storage is key to containing clutter. Storage areas should make up at least 10 percent of your home's total square footage and be strategically placed where needed. Keep clutter contained. Use baskets and bowls to collect mail, pens and pencils, loose change, and all the other odds and ends that collect on counters and tabletops. Spend 15 minutes a day cleaning up the detritus of daily life,  before it becomes overwhelming. Get rid of two items every time you buy a new one. Allow only three items on each surface. Just say no to refrigerator magnets. They encourage clutter. Keep windowsills clear of knickknacks and potted plants.

Get great tips like this and more! Just click below and we'll send you the next issue to enjoy. If you decide to subscribe now, pay just $14.95 (U.S. only) for six jam-packed issues, saving 58% off the newsstand price! If for any reason you are not happy with Natural Home, simply return the bill marked "cancel." You'll owe nothing and the risk-free issue is yours to keep.

Click here for your RISK-FREE issue!

I hope to have you as a reader,

Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Editor-in-Chief
Natural Home

Source: The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty by Robyn Griggs Lawrence

Patricia Weaver

Wonderful friend, phenomenal teacher, terrific tutor, magnificent mom.  No better mentor exists.  A woman whose impact far exceeds these words/definitions. 

I know that many of you know and love her.   

Please spread the word.  Forward the following to others whose children have been a part of Patricia’s world.

Best, I think, communicated in her words:

Dearest Lois,

I thank you for asking me to pray again for Kathi.  I have been and I will again.

In the meantime, would you pray the same for me as my cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.  If Kaiser approves, I will begin a three drug trial on July 1 at Stanford, and like Kathi's medicine, mine will go through a port.  Mine will be a day 1, day 8, day 21 cycle, very aggressive.  I have never needed so much prayer as I do now, though I know that because of people's prayers, these last four years and nine months have been very peaceful years for me (even with one PET-CT every three months, about nine different radiation treatments, etc).  And I do mean peace-filled.  In the process of having treatments in various facilities, including Stanford, I have truly been blessed.  This is all because of the tremendous support of friends.  So as I write those words, I know that the spirit of Goodness, the God of the universe, will indeed carry me through the hard treatments ahead.

Love to you, and blessings to Kathi,

Patricia

Check out what Sanjay has to say

One more reason to grow your own:

If you're eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group.

The group, a nonprofit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat have the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.

Most alarming are the fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Dirty Dozen," which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. These foods are believed to be most susceptible because they have soft skin that tends to absorb more pesticides.

"It's critical people know what they are consuming," the Environmental Working Group's Amy Rosenthal said. "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store."

Special report: Toxic America

The group suggests limiting consumption of pesticides by purchasing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables.

"You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Rosenthal said.

The Dirty Dozen

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported grapes

Lettuce

Not all non-organic fruits and vegetables have a high pesticide level. Some produce has a strong outer layer that provides a defense against pesticide contamination. The group found a number of non-organic fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Clean 15" that contained little to no pesticides.

The Clean 15

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions

Student ready/teacher appears

I've had the book on my counter for months.  Today One More Person reminded me that I need to actually open it.  And I need to tell you about it, too.  

The book is Anticancer, A New Way of Life.  Kind of a bummer title, which is why I haven't opened it.  I'm much, much more informed now.

Follow the link to Amazon (above) where you'll find a short video by the author, David Servan-Schreiber, a scientist and doctor who was diagnosed with, and has beaten, brain cancer.  

Many thanks, Janet, for the reminder that ultimately helped me to dust off the book and begin reading it tonight. 

It appears to be a terrific resource for friends who are dealing with cancer as well as those of us who would like to steer clear of this disease. 

From Booklist

*Starred Review* If anyone has the cred, professional and street, to discuss cancer prevention and survival, it is Servan-Schreiber, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, cofounder of Doctors Without Borders, and 15-year brain cancer survivor. That he chooses to talk about, even promote, certain environmental, dietary, and emotional adjustments one can make in one’s life that can mitigate suspected carcinogenic influences makes this a slightly controversial book. Typical of his demeanor, though, as researcher-teacher rather than practitioner, he addresses the controversy head-on, cautioning his critics to note that he does not promote these life adjustments in lieu of conventional medical interventions such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. He promotes them in addition to, as a support for, traditional treatments. He calls them anticancer practices. Stay away from white sugar and flour. Eat more cruciferous vegetables and dark-colored fruits. Get regular exercise, and take up yoga or some other form of meditation. These practices made for him a new way of life that he claims helped him beat cancer twice and, he believes, once and for all. This has been a best-seller in France and may well become a valuable resource about personal wars waged on cancer in this country, as well. --Donna Chavez

Also worth considering Health Journeys: For People with Cancer.  I sent this CD to my friend, Kathi, who has been listening to this each night before bed.  She, too, is fighting and succeeding. 

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586211161?ie=UTF8&tag=freshperspective&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586211161">Health Journeys: For People with Cancer</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=freshperspective&l=as2&o=1&a=1586211161" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />