I hate receiving those chain text messages and emails. They usually having something either very informative or very spiritual to say…But in the end you wind up feeling like you’ve been had. The messages I’m referring to always end by telling you to pass them on or you’ll be cursed and life as you know it will never be the same.

Well a few months back I received an email stating that bottled water (if left in extremely warm conditions – outside, your car, etc.) had been linked to breast cancer. I DID pass this one on to all the women in my address book. Apparently when plastic water bottles are exposed to extreme heat some of the material used to make the plastic i.e. Bisphenol A contaminates the water. We ingest this chemical while drinking. This wasn’t something I took lightly and neither should you. Researchers again have enlisted the help of some of Stuart Little’s relatives and have determined that prenatal exposure to this chemical causes breast cancer in adult rats…(I didn’t know rats had breast…ewww!). This by product of melted plastic is even found in BABY BOTTLES!

Just this morning…I guess it’s just fate…the FDA is claiming despite safety concerns of parents, consumer groups and politicians, the chemical is not dangerous. Based on a review of animal studies, the government working group said bisphenol could cause changes in behavior and the brain, and that it might reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses. So…is that what they consider SAFE?

About 93 percent of Americans have traces of bisphenol in their urine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the FDA’s report concluded that those levels were thousands of times below what would actually be dangerous to adults or children.

How do they know this for sure. This is the same group (FDA) that determines whether a med can hit the market. And you know how many medication recalls we’ve had. You know when doing trial studies on medications is not whether the meds cause death that keep them off the market…it’s the number of deaths they cause. For example, if a medication is being tested the target range for fatalities caused by the medication may be 2500 (wild number) meaning if the med kills 2500 people, they can’t approve it. However, if it only kills 2499 – it’s a go!

So, I say better safe than sorry. If you purchase bottled water especially by the case (like I do), don’t leave it in your car or anywhere outside for that matter.

Store the water in the fridge or a cool area in your home…Still even more frightening is the question of what type of conditions the water was exposed to before it made it to the shelf of your local air conditioned grocery store. I’m sure it’s shipped from the bottling company in a big HOT 18-wheeler. So what do you do?

Very few people are drinking tap water anymore and now there’s a possibility that the bottled water may be dangerous!

Anybody got a shovel? I’m digging a well! See this article Spring Water vs Purified Water for more details.

Author by Roschelle Nelson

Sore throat, strep throat and tonsillitis are some of the common throat problems that afflict all people from time to time. These terms are also used interchangeably while discussing throat problems. However there are some clinical differences among these conditions. Strep throat is caused due to infection by the strep bacteria. This is a contagious condition and results in several strep throat symptoms. These symptoms tend to begin in a period of 1 to 4 days after a person gets the infection.

The strep throat symptoms tend to start off with inflammation of the throat as well as the nearby structures. The throat in case of a strep throat infection tends to become red as well as swollen. White patches are also visible on back side of throat as well as tonsils. Such white patches are suggestive of presence of pus. Other symptoms that may be present include swelling in the lymph nodes on side of neck. These lymph nodes are also tender to touch. In case of strep throat infection, patient also tends to get rapid as well as long lasting fever. The fever may be as high as 101F or even more and may last for more than 48 hours.

The strep throat symptoms may not include typical cold symptoms like running nose, coughing and sneezing. The roof of the mouth may also have bright red or dark red spots. In some cases the strep throat infection may also be accompanied with other symptoms like headache, painful swallowing, difficulty in breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea and rash.

The strep throat symptoms tend to vary depending on the patients age. Among infants, the symptoms include a thick and yellow or green drainage from nose that might be sores in nose and this may be accompanied with low grade fever, decrease in appetite and general irritability. The symptoms among toddlers may include soreness in throat, problems in swallowing, general crankiness, swelling in lymph nodes in the jaw. Among adolescents, the illness may be accompanied with high fever, painful throat, problems in swallowing etc. Strep throat infection among adults may sometimes be accompanied with mild symptoms which may make detection of the illness difficult.

While diagnosing a strep throat infection, the associated strep throat symptoms should be kept in mind. At times it is possible that people having no knowledge of strep throat infection may misdiagnose it as a common cold infection. However it is important to understand that with strep throat infection, common cold symptoms like coughing or sneezing are not present.

Strep throat symptoms accompanied with rash which is rough to touch can be a cause for concern and signal towards possible scarlet fever. It is therefore important to seek prompt medical attention if the infection is accompanied with stomach ache, vomiting and extreme tiredness. The infection can spread through activities like coughing, shaking hands with infected individuals and sneezing. It is therefore important to teach children the importance of practicing good hygiene including washing hands. The diagnosis of strep throat infection can be done based on the symptoms along with a rapid strep test. Using a cotton swab, the doctor can collect a sample of the fluids in the throat. The treatment for strep throat infection includes a 10 days antibiotic course.

Aging is a natural part of life. As the minutes tick by, these minutes will end up turning into weeks, months and years. As we age, our bodies undergo a number of changes that affect our metabolism, our eyesight, our hearing any other aspects of our body. Sometimes these changes can be severe and other times they can be benign. In some instances, the changes can be somewhat confusing if we do not understand the root causes of the underlying problem that may be the result of aging.

This can be further complicated if we do not realize that the underlying medical problem is a direct result of the aging process. That is to say, the person may notice that something is wrong, but has no idea WHY something is wrong. The person may end up panicking over a condition that is, in reality, a thoroughly benign condition. Such can be the case with an enlarged prostrate gland.

Using to milk the prostate for your health, and keep a healthy lifestyle is another good option.

What is an Enlarged Prostrate Gland?

An enlarged prostrate gland is pretty much self explanatory. When a person ages, the size of the prostrate gland will grow beyond its normal size. This is not necessarily a serious condition and, in most cases, it is a benign condition that is the normal result of the aging process. However, it does have a number of side effects that can be somewhat troubling.

Side Effects of an Enlarged Prostrate

One of the most common side effects of an enlarged prostrate gland is difficulty with urination. The reason for this is that as the size of the prostrate gland expands, it starts to press against the urinary track. When this occurs, there is a minor blockage that ensues and this restricts the flow of urine. Additionally, it can cause frequency in the need to urinate as well as causing a difficulty in completely stopping urination.

Again, this is not a dangerous condition to have, but it is a very uncomfortable one and needs to be addressed. If the condition worsens and becomes incredibly difficult to deal with, then seeking the help of a qualified physician will be necessary. The treatment for this will usually involve medication therapy although surgeries are not uncommon, albeit rare.

Once again, an enlarged prostrate is not a serious condition, but it is one that can negatively affect the quality of an individual’s life. Because of this, it becomes important to seek proper treatment when symptoms of the condition occur.

There are many vegetables that shouldn’t be eaten raw, but boiling them takes out much of the nutrition. Therefore, steaming is the better option. Furthermore, vegetables that have been steamed, look and taste better than those that have been boiled. Broccoli has that dark green color and firmness, but once it’s boiled, it loses its healthy color and many times it turns soft and mushy.

Cauliflower’s firm white flowers tend to turn a creamy yellow and can also wilt to mush when boiled. Cabbage turns from green to almost white and sometimes even pink. Beautiful white kernel corn turns off-white when boiled. Asparagus loses some of its green color when boiled and can also turn to mush.

A lot of people overcook their vegetables, taking away the nutrition and taste. Vegetables don’t need to be cooked to mush. The texture should be firm yet soft enough to easily chew. The longer they cook, the more nutrition and flavor they lose.

The color of a vegetable represents its nutritional content. When color is lost, nutrition is also lost. However, steamed vegetables retain most of the nutrients, allowing the vegetables to cook to a firm, yet palatable tenderness. Vegetables that are steamed have richer color, a firm texture, and much more flavor.

Steaming vegetables is really quite simple and can be approached in a number of ways. A steamer is a good investment, but a metal colander or a draining basket works as well.

Place the colander or basket of prepared vegetables in a pot that’s large enough to accommodate it with about two to three inches of water. Bring the water to a boil and cover. The steam, rising from the boiling water will cook the vegetables. Inserting a fork every few minutes will let you know when the vegetables have reached the desired tenderness.

Steamed Broccoli comes out a healthy, firm green with all of its full rich flavor. Cauliflower keeps its bright white color, and cabbage stays green, a bit firm, yet not crunchy. Carrots maintain their bright orange color and they are tender enough to easily eat, yet still firm and fresh.

Steamed vegetables look better, taste better, have more nutrition and are all-around better for you. Boiling them is a waste of nutrition. Food should never be wasted. Jesus Christ told the disciples to gather the loaves and fish that remained after He had fed the multitude so that nothing would go to waste.

Therefore, if you’re boiling your vegetables, pouring the pot liquor down the drain, you’re wasting nutrition and flavor.

Irritating, itchy rashes and blisters driving you mad? You’ve used over-the-counter products and the prescriptions but they don’t work very well, or not at all. Hundreds of thousands of All Stop™ customers have experienced the fast and welcome relief to Poison Ivy suffering our Poison Ivy Healing Gel and Citris Skin Exfoliator provides. Isn’t immediate relief what you now?

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Developed in our FDA-approved laboratories and supported by extensive research and testing, All Stop Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Healing Gel provides a powerful TRIPLE-ACTION formula that is safe enough for use on the face and children over 2 years of age. A topical gel applied directly to the rash, it will soothe your irritated skin and reduce itching and inflammation, without any side effects! Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Healing Gel will relieve your itch IMMEDIATELY, prevent infection due to scratching and also effectively treat any blisters. In addition, we offer products to stop spreading of the plant’s oil to your clothes, camping gear, boots, etc.

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All Stop Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Healing Gel, a unique blend of quaternary ammonium compounds, is a topical skin treatment specifically designed to penetrate the skin and chemically bond with Urushiol. This neutralizes the urushiol and stops the allergic reaction in its tracks. All Stop Citris Skin Exfoliator gently scrubs away all trace of urishol on and in your skin. You’ll begin to feel results within minutes!

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The Weekend

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. For as crazy as our lives have been the last month or so, this past weekend was such a nice change. Neither Ryan nor I had any obligations so we simply cherished the down time that we had together with our little man. Ryan has been working some really long days, so it felt like such a gift to have two full days with him all to ourselves. Plus the weather is finally warming up so we took advantage!

One of my very, very favorite hobbies is to trail run. It truly is my “happy place” where I am able to lose myself in my surroundings without a care in the world.

With the weather finally turning, I was able to get a few runs in this weekend and it was ah-mazing! This was the first time I’ve completed anything longer than a sprint since last fall, but I felt great! I was able to finish a 5-mile trail run in under 55 minutes on Sunday. And let me tell you, the trails here are tough (and still super mucky from all the rain last week)! The inclines in our local park do not mess around. I swear some of them are at a 70-80 degree angle and show no mercy (which is why I tend to walk those parts).  But what I loved most about running this past weekend is that it proved short bursts of high intensity cardio can be just as effective as long distance in regards to maintaining a healthy cardiovascular level. When I say I haven’t run since last Fall, I truly mean it. But I have done plenty of sprints, burpees, jump rope, etc. which obviously have done their job because I wasn’t dying through these first few runs of the season.

On Sunday, we decided to drive out and explore some new trails that reside beside a huge lake not too far from our house. It was fun to change it up and be near a body of water for once. I didn’t realize how land-locked I felt until I got my first glimpse of the lake! I can’t wait to spend some time out on the water this year! Henry wasn’t really feeling the stroller for our walk, so I ended up carrying him on my chest in the Ergobaby for most of it.

Dinner

Ryan had a late hockey game that night, so I was on my own for dinner. Since we had a late lunch after our walk, I decided on “sides” for a meal. Have you ever done that at a restaurant? I’ve definitely looked at menus before and realized the side items were calling my name more so than any other extravagant meal they offered and would just order a few of those instead. So it was homemade sweet potato fries and roasted broccoli for me!

(And yes, I’m eating in bed! That’s how lazy I felt hehe)

Today

Oh man, Henry sure tested my limits with last night’s sleep (or lack thereof). He went down a little earlier than usual, which wasn’t surprising. However, I wasn’t ready for him to wake up at 3:00am wide awake. Ugh…It didn’t help that I was exhausted. The kid was wired and no amount of nursing was going to do any good. So we played until I got him back down at 4a. Needless to say, I woke up today pretty lethargic. On top of that, I kiiind of skipped my off day, and my body was paying the price. The weather was just too nice not to run this weekend, despite being my rest day. I felt like this guy…can you relate?

But thank goodness for some Spark!

This stuff was a godsend to me this morning. Not only that, but I’ve been pairing it with Catalyst for my workouts.

The combination is hands down better than any other pre-workout I’ve used – and I’ve tried a LOT. I just feel great – that’s the only way I can describe it. There are no jitters, no tingling skin, no wired, buzzing feeling in my head…just pure, natural energy. I highly recommend trying it!  I was easily able to overcome my exhaustion and pushed through a modified Murph workout followed by a long walk with Henry through our neighborhood.

But now I’m going to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day! We may even have to go for another stroll – it’s just too hard to stay inside!  Good thing I made these delicious banana carrot muffins from Elana’s Pantry this afternoon. They look and smell so good, I can’t wait to dig into one!

I hope you all have a great week!