Natural and Sustainable

1. Witch Hazel: One fo the few natural remedies to get FDA approval for medicinal use. It’s used on small cuts and injuries, insect bites and muscle pain.

2. Arnica: From the sunflower family, arnica can relieve pain and inflammation from sore muscles, sprains, and bruises.

3. Eucalyptus Oil: Sprinkle a few drops of this essential oil on a lcoth and breathe it in to relieve symptoms of asthma, solds and respiratory problems.

4. Oscillococcinum: Many belive this homeopathic treatment reduces the severity of fever, chills, aches and pains.

• Organic Throat Lozenges: Use lozenges that soothe sore, scratchy throats and give you vitamin C and zine, without ingredients you don’t need. Try Organix by the makers of Cold-Eeze and Zand organic herbal lozenges.

• Aloe Vera Gel: A natural skin soother, aloe vera hydrates skin that’s dry and overexposed to the sun. Aubrey Organics has a bertified organic version.

• Calendula (marigold): This ointment, derived from marigold leaves, can help skin problems like burns, rashes, eczema and minor wounds. Try an ointment or gel version on diaper rash.

• Chamomile: A longtime popular herbal remedy, chamomile tea is famous for easing tummy troubles.

• Saline Mist: This inexpensive, drug-free spray helps relieve congestion from colds and allergies, and hydrates dry nasal passages.

• Mullein: Leaves from this flowering plant act as decongestant, relieving symptoms of asthma and bronchitis.

• Gripp-Heel: Dissolve these supplements on yoru tongue at the first symptons fo cold and flu. Click here for more information.

• Neti Pot: This gently-bottle-like pot natural flushes out nasal passages, helping to prevent sinus and other infections. Use twice a day during dry winter months and allergy season. Click here for a demo of how to use the Neti pot.

** Lynn Little has taken over writing for Mississippi State here at 451 Press. She even has posted an old college photo of herself. Lynn has been with 451 Press since June of 2007 and currently writes the SEO Dance blog. She is a great blogger and promises to bring the same energy and information to the Mississippi State blog as well. Read her welcome message here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Weather permitting, take your exercise outdoors whenever you can. Be thankful for the wonderful world we live in and all it has to offer us by taking care of it.

As you may know, major pharmaceutical copmpanies have pulled their cough and cold medicines from children under the age of two. Although, it’s easy to assume that medicines that help adults will work for children, this is often not the case, because kids’ hormones and metabolisms are fundamentally different. Oral decongestants, antihistamines and cough suppressants don’t have proven beenfits under age of six, and there is risk associated with them as well. So how to treat your child’s cold you may be thinking.

Opt for remedies that have demonstrated effectiveness in children, or are at least unlikely to do any harm. Honey may be one good solution. Honey has been proven to reduce the number of coughs, and also reduces the severity of coughs, reducing the bother of coughs and increasing sleep in both kids and parents. Honey is significantlt better than no treatment at all. The dose should be a half teaspoon 30 minutes before bed for kids two to five, a full teaspooon for kids six to 11, and two teaspoons for kids 12 to 18. Infants who have not reached their first birthday should not be given honey. And darker honey should be the choice because it contains more bioactive compounds than the lighter counterpart.

For other symptons, consider nose drops made from saline saltwater solution that can loosen virus-laden mucus so it’s more easily removed with a bulb syringe. Saline may also have an antiviral effect. Chicken soup has shown to help some cold symptoms because of the salt content.

Believe it or not, but simple gravy can also help treat congestion. Swelling of the nasal lining may decrease if kids lie with their heads a bit higher than their hearts. For thick mucus, try a vaporizer or humidifier. Mucus becomes thinner as it pulls in the moisture from the air, and this makes it easier to dicharge. (Source: Some information pulled from Kiwi Mag. 2007)

Homemade Remedy To Try:

Cold-Medicine Drink

Two cups of hot water combined with the juice of one lemon, zest from half the lemon, 1/2 cup tart cherry juice, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, two cloves of chopped garlic, and inch of chopped fresh ginger and dark honey to taste. Pour through a strainer and drink warm.

**A new headache center has been benn built in Indiana. It’s a new medical center devoted to the treatment of headaches and migraines — the St. Vincent Headache Center. And over at Dealing With Headaches, Rena Sherwood has the particulars. Read about it here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Lving Tip: Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Visit Local Harvest to learn more.

Native to North America, evening primrose (Oenothera biennis L.) can also be found in Asia and Europe. It has been used for stomach upsets, coughs, and even bruises while eating the root of the plant.

The health of the oil include, essential fatty acids (EFA) and it is used today to maintian health and prevent disease. It guards against breast cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and stomach ulcers. Evening primrose (EP) oil is rich in omega-6 fats containing both linoleic acid (LA) and gamma linolenic (GLA). The only other oils that have shown the same fatty oil and to bring to the table the same health benefits in their plants seeds include borage seed oil, hempseed oil, and black currant seed oil.

Some important uses of this essential oil also are:

• Premenstrual Syndrowm (PMS): Women with PMS may have a deficiency of prostaglandina in the central nervous system. Supplementing with GLA in the form of evening primrose oil appears to increase production of beneficial prostaglandis.

• Osteoporosis: This is another area where EFAs, including evening primrose oil, may be useful. EFas help increase clacium absorption from the gut. In part by enhancing the effexts of vitamin D, reduceing urinary excretion of calcium, increases calcium deposition in the bone, and improve boen strength.

• Healthy Pregnancy: As well as fetal development, depending on the right EFA balance. Essential fatty acids have a unique role during pregnancy because of the rapid development of new cell growth, new tissue, and new organ systems in a delevopment of new cell growth, new tissues, and new organ systems in a developing fetus. Fetal development demands a high EFA requirement, and this supply is dependent on the amount and availability of EFAs from the mother.

• Arthritis: Person suffering from arthritis symptoms responds to GLA supplementation. Using EP oil consistently shows that individuals can benefit from taking up to 2,800 mg of GLA. There are benefits using evening primrose oil supplements in osteoarthritis as well as rheumatoid arthritis.

• Diabetes: Has been associated with abnormalities in essential fatty acid metabolism. One of these abnormailities involved interference with the conversion of LA and GLA. GLA can improve muscle strength, hot and cold therapy assoicated with sensation and reflexes.

• Cholesterol: Levels of cholesterol may benefit for GLA. Although fish and flax oils have received considerable attention for their effects on blood lipids and the blood pressure, other essentail fatty acids can also be useful in lowering or leveling out the cholesterol count.

The safety issue with this oil is normal. Other than cautions using evening primrose oil on person with epileptic disorder, all other disorders or health concerns are free to attempt the oil to help benefit them and their condition. With any oil, always read the contraindications before use or talk to a health care provider to see how the oil can benefit you.

**Looking for some books to cuddle up in the couch with this winter and read? Then check out JM’s book list over at The Book Stacks to help get your started. There are great books that made her list, one being If I Were You, by: Julia Llewellyn. Check out the rest of the list by clicking here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: If you see litter or trash anywhere, pick it up and place it in either a nearby trash can or a nearby recycle bin. The more we all pick up the better our Earth will look and have to get rid of on it’s own.

Calm your mind from racing and help your health the natural way, here’s how:

• THE THREE DOSHAS:
To benefit from ayurvedic practice, natural practices, it help to know the basics. Ayurveda hold the nature’s five elements-water, earth, fire, air and space. They are all present in the body as three constitutional types, or doshas, which govern the body’s functions: vata (space and air, pitta (water and fire), and kapha (earth and water). Vata regulates movement, pitta governs metabolism, and kapha is responsible for physical atructure. When the doshas are in balance you feel healthy. When they are not, there is trouble.

DOSHA TABLE:

VATA: Thin and wiry body frame; loses weight easily. Hair is usually curly and coarse; prone to drynes. Eyes are often either dark or blue; quick, darting. Skin is pale, dry, delicate, prone to fine lines.

PITTA: Medium build; sometimes athletic body frame. Hair is normally thin, straight, fine hair, can be oily. Eyes are often green or hazel; penetrating gaze. Skin is oily, irritable, sensitive to sun; prone to freckling, rashes, and rosacea.

KAPHA: Large, solid body frame; gains weight easily. Hair is normally dark, thick, lustrous. Large eyes with thick, dark lashes; calm and loving glare. Skin is thick’ cool to the touch, can be prone to congestion (cystic acne).

THE FOUR TOOLS:
The most powerful treatments, in the ayurvedic view, are dosha-specific adjustments to your diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits, accompanied by regular meditation. You can put these tools to work anytime, anywhere.

1. DIET: Fresh organic vegetarian food is the foundation of ayurvedic cooking. It brings back the life force. On the other hand, produces a buildup of toxins (know as ama). And leftovers, are considered dead food. To phase in an ayurvedic diet, build your meals around its three most important ingredients: A good grain (such as rice or flatbread), a legume-based soup (like mung dahl, lentil, or gree split pea), and freash vegeatbles cooked with olive oil or ghee, which is butter that’s been melted, boiled, and strained. Try to include all six tastes-sweet, sour, alty, bitter, pungent (ginger, basil), and astringent (tumeric, rosemary)-in every meal. And focus on foods that are particularly beneficial for your primary dosha.

If you are veta: Eat sweet fruits such as berries, cherries, and plums; sour fruits are all right too, except for raw apples and dried fruit. Vegetables should be cooked with an emphasis on carrots, cucumbers, green beans, and peas. Dairy products are fine for vata types, as a ghee and most oils (sesame and olive are ideal though). Good grain choices are cooked oats and quinoa. Avoid dry or cold foods, ice water, dried or un ripe fruits, red meats, and caffeine.

If you are pitta: Stick to sweet fruits such as melons, raisins, and dates, and nix any fruits that are sour. Focus on sweet and bitter vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, squash, and leafy greens. For dairy, choosecow’s milk, unsalted butter, and soft cheeses that aren’t aged. For grains, pick amaranth, barley and basmati rice. Sunflower, canola, and olive oils, along with ghee, are preferred to corn or sesame oils. Pass of spicy foods, even if you crave them

If you are kapha: The watchwoods are dry an light. Fruits like apples, raisin, dried figs, and pears are favored over that that are highly sweet or sour. Lean toward pungent and bitter vegetables, such as eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, and cooked tomato. Dairy is best avoided, though a bit of skim goat’s milk or diluted yogurt is acceptable. Preferred grains are buckwheat and barley. For oils, use corn, conaols, or sunflower in minimal amounts. Warming, invigorating spices and condiments are advised for kaphas; enjoy black pepper, horseradish, mustard, or just about anything else except salt. Steer clear of nuts, tofu, hot cerals, foods that are very sweet or oily, and practically anything from the drive-through.

2. EXERCISE: Ayurveda’s favorite exercise is one that is beneficial for all. Beginners can start slowly; once or twice a day for 10 to 15 minutes a session. It’s all about developing enlightment. To get even more from your exercise, select an activity, and a form of yoga. That’s right for your dosha.

If you are vata: You’re easily scattered, so try momement that brings you more into your center. Grunding styles of yoga are a good choice. Iyengar yoga are suitable options; you will also benefit by taking classes in Pilates, tai chi, or qigong.

If you are pitta: Noncompetitive exercise to release the pressure that builds up from your need for precision and prefection. Go swimming or ride a bike instead of engaging in a squash or tennis game. Relaxing forms of yoga help high-strung pittas cool off from the heat or the day. Most yoga studios offer classes in resorative yoga, candlelight yoga or the like.

If you are kapha: You are constantly battling your tendency toward inertia. High-intensity exercise is best for this type. A brisk walk, jogging, or an upbeat aerobics class. Vigorous forms of yoga, such as Ashtanga, Bikram, or flow-style classes, are the perfect ways to get a kapha moving.

3. HABITS: How you appraoch your like and plan your daily scedule has an impact on your emotional and physical well-being. By making small changes, establishing healthy routines, and counterbalancing some of the negative tendencies of your primary dosha, you can restore inner balance.

If you are a vata: You will resist regularity. However, introducing more predictability into your life can keep your dosha from getting excessively turbulent. As a result, you will spend less time feeling anxious, unfocused and unproductive. Eating meals at a regular time, which vatas are notourious meal skippers. Taking the same path to work each day and looking for other ways to make like more deliberate.

If you are pitta: You respond with aggression when things don’t go according to plan. That’s partly because pittas tell themselves they will never get everything done. Go against your nature by leaving breathing room in your fay., Pittas have a need for precision. They will scedule things back to back. Allowing yourself some space can help you avoid blowing up when a schedule change happens or you have to wait in line longer than you expected. Use this extra time for meditation or breathing exercises.

If you are kapha: Try to fight your natural inertia. Kaphas don’t like to rock the boat and have a tendency to withdraw when the going gets tough. But they can take tolerance too far, remaining in unhappy situations too long. When the urge to fight comes into play you have to tell yourself and enforce it upon yourself to breath and step away and think logically. If that is not an option then remove yourself from the scene altogether. Doing counting meditation is a great way to remove your self mentally when you can’t remove yourself physically. (Source: Some information pulled from NH 2006)
**Over at Parenting Under The Stars, Sandra Williams talks about how to make kids that are picky eaters, eat foods they normally would put up a fuss about, by making a game out of it or making the food choice fun. Read how here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Go carbon-neutral for a week, then try 2 weeks, then try a month, then go for 3 months, etc. Encourage your family, your friends, your co-workers, your mail carrier even to go carbon-neutral with you. Make a game out of it even. All in the name of Mother Earth.

• Calcium: While 99 percent of total calcium is found in the teeth and bones, the rest is crucial to myriad body functions, including those that air in weight loss. Taking 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily, you could loose as much as 17 pounds over four years. Too much calcium however can hurt your the kidneys and decrease absorption of minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus. Take 1,000 to 1,500 mg daily with meals. Adding magnesium (400mg) works with calcium to air in relaxation and exercise recovery.

• Chromium picolinate: This trace mineral may air obese people, who can be glucose-intolerate or insulin-resistant. When this triggers insulin production, blood sugar levels peal, increasing diabetes risk and making weight loss more difficult. Chromium mitigates these effects by keeping blood sugar levels steady. People who are taking insulin and those diagnosed with hypoglycemia or metabolic syndrome should not take chromium without their physicians’ approval. Since chromium can be hose to get consistenly from the typical diet, a supplement is often the best way to go. Taking 200 to 400 micrograms daily is best. (Many multivitamins contain 120 mg.)

• Citrus aurantium: Also know as bitter orange or zhi shi, this fruit derivates is used for a variety of purposes in Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of its metabolism-boosting and appetite-curbing ingredients, synephrine, is chemically similar to ephedrine, which causes it to be condemned by association. The FDA has recorded “adverse events” from taking bitter orange and in most cases, the supplement also had caffeine or ephedra. Only one stand alone bitter orange supplement was tired to an adverse event. Those with heart disease or hypertension should always consult their health-care provider.

• CLA: Conjugated linoleic acid inhibits lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme made by the fat cell that’s responsible for the uptake of fat by the cell. CLA may prevent the accumulation of fat as animals age, but the shirt-term human studies are less conclusive. The fat reduction was slow and modest, but fairly consistent, so while CLA has been shown to reduce body fat, it may be better at preventing fat accumulation. The supplement may increase markers of inflammation, such as isoprostanes, a confusing result as animal studies have clearly shown CLA to be anti-inflammatory. A range of 2 to 6 grams per day. An average of 3 grams daily is a typical dose. Taking CLA capsules with meals improves absorption.

• Green Tea: Green tea (aka Camellia sinensis) has a modest effect on weight loss, usually attributed to a mix od caffeine and catechins. It may also work on anitoxidant level as well. It produces heat to burn calories within the body. People with sensitvity to caffeine shouls monitor their green tea intake. Symptoms to watch for include increased restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety. For weight control, take two 250 mg capsules of green tea extract three times daily with meals.

• Guarana: With guarane seeds boasting twice the caffiene of coffee beans, it’s easy to see how this supplement built its reputation as a metabolism booster. Anyone who’s caffeien-sensitive should consult their physisian, as should those with high blood pressure or heart trouble. A standard dose is 250 mg per day. It is often found in formaulas with other ingredients as well. Look for no more than 1,000 milligrams of guarana.

• Hoodia gordonii: This appetits suppressant, from an African succulent, tricks the brain into thinking it has all the energy it needs. Due to its slow-growing nature, there isn’t much of the plant out there. Demand is well ahead of supple. It is possible and maybe even probable that many products claiming to contain hoodia don’t. From 750 to 1,000 milligrams a day is a good recomendation as part of a formula.

• HCA: Hydroxycitric acid is derives from Garinia cambogia, and Indian fruit. No side effects or complications from taking HCA have been documented. It has a number of years of safe use. From 750 to 1,000 milligrams a day is a good recommendation as part of a formula.

• Yeba maté: The caffeine in this plant-derived beverage from South America compares to tea. Yogi Teas to be exact sell a tea similar ot the source. Caffeine-related side effects include restlessness and increased high blood pressure and heart rate. Drinking hot yerba maté may be linked to oral concers, so drink the tea in moderation, and at a moderate temperature. Consume yerba maté as a tea once a day, using 2 to 4 grams of unadulterated cut leaves per cup of hot water.

** If you are a habitual writer and feel the need to express that, then become a member of NaNoWriMo. Over at Artists Passion, Wendy Withers states how to get involved and also talks about who here at 451 Press are involved as well as some others. Read the whole story here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: If you use hairspray give ones a try that are carcinogenic chemical-free, which is converted into carbon monoxide in the body. Nonaerosol is safer and better for the environment. Also products made with certified organic ingredients ensure that chemicals don’t wash down the drain and into natural waterways. And always try to find products that are in containers and bottles that can be recycled post-use, unlike difficult-to-recycle steel aerosol cans. Give these two brands a try: Aveda Withc Hazel Hair Spray, or Giovanni Organic L.A. Hold Hair Spritz.

The single best thing you can do to keep the flu out of your home is to get vaccinated. There should be plenty of vaccine to go around, so don’t feel like you will be taking away from someone else. Two-thirds of the population are recommended to get one. That two-thirds includes people 50 and over, children between six months and their 5th birthday, anyone in close contact with young children, anyone with chronic disease of heart, liver, lungs, or kidneys, people with diabetes, and health care workers.

If shots give you the willies, there is another option. A vaccine in the form of nasal mist has been approaved since last year and is approved for use in healthy people between the ages of 5 and 50. The nasal spray is made from live, but weakened virus (whereas the traditional shot is made from killed virus).

Whichever vaccine you choose, remember that neither is 100 precent effective because the virus that causes flu can mutate very quickly. So make sure you also practice good winter hygiene. Wash you hands whenever you come in from any contact with the outside world and carry some baby wipes or anti-bacterial wipes in your purse or handbag or car so that you can wash up even when you are away from water.

**Into cars? Movies? How about horror flicks involving cars? Over at Automotive Blogger, M. Mayder talks about all the great horror movies involving cars. And just in time for Halloween too.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Take your lunch to work or school in reuseable containers and have a no-garbage lunch. Which in turn creates zero waste for the landfill.

Scan the label of nearly any skin-care product and you will find them there, clustered toward the bottom of the ingrideints list; rose, lemongrass, peppermint, chamomile, rosemary, white willow bark, and more. Herbs are making their way into everything from facial cleaners to foot creams-and not just because of their names and alluring aromas, because they work. Though they may be present only in small amounts, they’re a powerful presence nonetheless. Some plants can be highly active at low dose, so you don’t need a lot of these herbs. They can have active properties at 1 or 2 precent. Here is a list of the top 6 to look for and use:

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita):
Chamomile can be a source of serenity for your complextion. The plant, which has small, daisy like white flowers with yellow centers, has been used throughout history to calm itchy, reactive skin and ease rashed., Chamomile cream worked better than 0.5 precent hydrocortisone in the treating of inflammation and irritation associated with eczema. It’ s calming, anti-inflammatory powers also make it highly effective at evening skin tone. Chamommile is vasoconstrictive, meaning it helps shrink blood vessels temporarily, decreasing facial redness and blothiness. The bottom line: It soothes the skin.

• Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis):
Rosemary is for remembrance. But its stimulating more than just memory; when it comes to skin, rosemary is invigorating, energizing, and protective. It has an anti-aging ingredient that works to safeguard skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Because rosemary also has astringent properties, which both stimulate the scalp and remove excess oil. The bottom line: It protects and stimulates.

• White Willow Bark (Salix alba):
The bark from the white willow shrub contains salicin, which has been used for centuries to break fevers, relieve pain, and reduce swelling. (It’s the original source of asprin .) Willow bark is also an effective natural exfoliant-in fact, it’s the source of the salicylic acid contained in many beauty products today. Willow bark extract helps break down oils, so it’s great at helping to clear oil plugs and breakouts. The bottom line: It exfoliates congested skin.

• Rose Hip (Rosa affinis rubiginosa):
Rose Mosqueta is a pink-colored wild rose that grows throughout the Americas and lives for one breif but glorios day. As the petals fall off, its seeds-known as rose hips-are revealed. These seeds contain essential fatty acids called linoleic and linolenic acids, which can help soften dry skin, fade scarring, and even erase sun damage. Rose hips oil is also rich in antioxidant vitamin C. It helps protect the skin from sun damage and improve the appearance of fine lines. The bottom line: It rejuvenates dry, aging skin.

• Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus):
This topical Asian plant is harvested for its earthy, lemony flavor and pungent aroma. Lemongrass is marvelous for acne since it’s an astringent and it’s anit-bacterial. It’s great for circulation, refines the pores, increases skin elasticity, and, when used as a toner or spritzer, can refine and even out skin tone. The bottom line: It calms acne.

• Peppermint (Mentha x piperita): (My personal favorite)
Pepermint’s essential oil is a source of cooling menthol-which makes it a natural rememdy for aches, pains, and itches. It is an effective topical treatment for pain and stiffness of joints and muscles. Peppermint oil cools the itch because it increases blood flow to the skin to temporarily reduce pain and discomfort. The invigorating aroma also helps awaken the senses. The bottom line: It cools and refreshes.

**Survivor: China has love in the air over at Grid Effect. Read the whole story here.**

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Cooking your food at temps above 116 degrees depletes nutrients and uses more energy. Eating more raw foods boosts your health and saves energy. Do it for 3 weeks and feel the difference mentally and physically.

To alleviate cold germ induced allergies, turn to vitamins, herbs, yoga, omega-3s, and more.

1. Take Your C: Vitamin C has emerged as an anti-allergy agent for many years now and now you may need it more than ever. Allergy sufferers should take 200 milligrams of vitamin C daily. The presence of an antioxidant like vitamin C might therefore decrease the severity of allergy attacks and colds.

2. Dress For Success: Cotton and wool fabrics attract more tree pollen as the trees loose their leaves for the winter than a cotton-poly blends. Since pollen can collect on skin and hair, a post-outing shower will also reduce the level of allergens in your home.

3. Butter Up: An ingredient in butterbur (Petasites hybridus) inhibits histamines and leukotrienes (chemicals released after allergen exposure that make you itch, sneeze, or stuff up). Butterbur is as effective as cetirizine (Zyrtec®). 50 mg. of butterbur twice daily works as well as 180 mg daily of fexofenadine (Allegra®). Other herbs used for relief are infusions of nettle and elderflower (1 tsp. each to 2 cups water, taken daily for three months). For congestion, place five to 10 drops of chamomile essential oil in 3 cups of hot water, and inhale for 10 minutes.

4. Rinse Out: The passages in the nose are quite narrow and the lining is very tender; therefore, it takes only minor swelling and irritation or a little extra mucus to plug you up. Nasal irrigation rinses mucus and debris out of the nose and clears the passages. Use a spouted Neti Pot to apply a saline solution of 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of baking soda dissolved in 8 ounces of lukewarm water; you can buy the pot (with instructiuons) at health-food stores. If you find the technique tricky, try Nasopurek, a product that supplies the saline solution in a squeeze bottle for easier application.

5. Breathe and Pose: Yogic breathing methods held clear mucus from the nose. Also, Yoga reduces asthma attacks and improves pulmonary function. Using medication, chest-opening postures, and breathing techniques have been found to lead to better results then beathing along. Attacking the problem from three angles, relaxation, the mechanics of how the chest wall works, and learning to be a more effective breather, seems to make more sense. Yoga for Asthma, and interactive CD-ROM by yoga master B.K.S. Lyengar, can be use by people with allergies or winter cold sufferers.

6. Hide Inside: Cold and allergy suferers are advised to stay insdie with doors and windows closed furing peak pollen hours (usually 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Equip your ventaliation system with an allergy-grade filter to resude exposure and symptoms. Air cleaners ar ledd effetive by can still heko; choose one with a sustantioal colume of sirglow and a HEPA (high-efficiency particalate air) filter.

7. Eat Your 3s: Certain foods like vegetable oils and baked or fried goods provoke an inflammatory response, potentially exacerbating allergies. But a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (cold water fish, flaxseeds) seems to reduce that chain reaction.

These natural responsees can reduce allergic reactions and colds and flus. Because chronic conditons can and may lead to asthma, consult a specailist if symptoms continue or get worse. To find an allergist near you, visit American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. You can also sign up with the National Allergy Bureau to receive e-mail alerts about pollenb and mold couts in your area.

Want to stay up to date with politics? Check out Political Frenzy

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Use greener cleaners in your how, car and RV or boat. Baking soda and viegar will clean just about anything. Use the “old school” method and put a little elbow grease into your cleaning. Your family and pets will be healthier and your furniture and fixtures will last longer too.

The bark of the pau D’arco tree battles yeast infections, food poisoning and maybe some cancers.

A thousand years ago, the Incas of Peru found the inner bark of the pink-flowers lapacho tree indispensable for treating fever, sore throat, dysentery, snakebite, bladder and yeast infections, and even some cancers. They also used its wood to make bows for hunting. Now called pau d’ arco (pow-DAR-co), which is Portugeuese for “bow-stick”, the term refers to various trees of the Tabebuia family that frow in the mountains of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru.

The facts about the Pau D’arco Tree:

• Anti-Bacterial.
• Helps treat Staphylococcus aureus infections that reisit antibiotics.
• Active against human intestinal bactiera, which cause food poisioning.
• Has certain anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity, including against herpes I and II.
• May reduce viural replication.
• Is especially effective agains Candida albicans, the fungus that causes vaginal infections ( soaking a tampon in a strong pau d’arco tea while also taking the herb orally.)
• Has been found useful in the treating of leukemia and other cancers. (It may kill cancer cells of the lungs, colon, and prostate. Pau d’arco is some time away from being used to treat cancer on a medical level, but the Incas may have been on the right track with this herb.)
Dosage for the herb should be in tablet or capsule form, 1 to 4 grams per day in divided doses-or 1 to 2 tsp. of tinture three times a day. Consuming 1.5 grams per day or more may cause dizziness and GI upset, so consult your herbalist. Avoid pau d’arco if you’re taking anticoagulants or hacing surgery, or if you are pregnant or nursing.

(Source: Some information pulled from Herbs Inc.)

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Ride your bike whenever you can. If you live withing the city and it’s less than a 10 blocks from your normal store, ride you bike there. Don’t think of riding a bike as “poke-fun-at” activity. Riding your bike is one way you can help save fuel consumption and who knows, your little effort may be the one effort that lowers the fuel cost rate.

Check out Pedaling For The Planet And Yourself on ways riding your bike can save not only the planet but your health as well.

……It’s also good for your health too.

A few minutes of dedicated quiet each day reduces stress levels and offers a way to appreciate things that are obscured by noise and commotion. I recently read an article in a Men’s Health magazine while I sat at the dentist office and waited my turn at drilling. I realized as I sat there how quiet and calm it was in the entire building. Other than the phone ringing from time to time, the drilling in the distance and the dental assistance and secretary talking quietly, it was rather calm. I have had a tooth, giving me issues since June and finally decided to see my dentist (it needed a root canal by the way), but ultimately being affraid of the dentist, it is a rather calming place to be.

The pleasing sound of the drill could actually put someone to sleep if there wasn’t pain associated with it at times. It’s a smooth, steady, not ear piercing sound. I did not feel any pain with my dentist visit and ultimately I nodded off till I was disturded by my dentist when the procedure was over.

In silence and quiet, we are calmer. Silence helps us connect to that which we normally miss out on, elements of our experience that are subtle yet rich. The article in the magazine talked about places to go and have a 10-30 minute meditation after working out. It stated “that our bodies are being put through so much on a day to day basis, it begs for calm at one point within 24 hours, other than sleep.”

For some people, settling into silence isn’t easy. It can be associated with bottled-up energy and forced-down feelings. It’s easy to confuse silence with being silences, yet silence serves not to close us down but to open us up. Silence doesn’t sperate us from our inner world, it links us to is.

The world around you may not be quiet, but you can still be still. Silence does’t mean blocking out sound. You can experience the silence of not reacting to sound. If you do seek to reduce the surrounding decibels, invest in some noise-canceling headphones or tune to other trusted outlets of tranquility. Such as:

• Designed to facilitate, labriaries can also be conductive to contemplation and meditation.

• Most place of worship are open every day and offer instant, free access to silence regardless of your religious affiliation.

• While not required to be quiet, aficionados of musems tend to keep it to a low murmur.

• Between the opening chants, teacher’s instructions, and deep breathing, a great quiet can be savored at yoga studios.

• Creating silence in your everyday life is one thing, a hushed haven over another. The Insight Meditation Society offers silent retreats all year; other venues can be found at Retreats Online.

While giving up the adictive power of noise requires willpower. When was the last time you radio, television, iPod, and cellphone were all switched off at the same time? You don’t have to be a meditation guru to enjoy the benefits of silence. Start with specific moments. In the spirit of exploration, tell yourself that for a week you won’t turn on the TV during meals. You will just eat your food and be able to more fully experience its taste, and scent. View this as an adventure, not a shore and soon you will tune in to the healthful sound of silence.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Get a library card. There is a whole new world that lays beyond the doors of your local library. From books, magazines, and kids books and kits that can entertain an whole room of children to a great selection of movies that normally cost to rent at your local Blockbuster®. The library is a great place to go and get away from the hustle and stress of everyday tasks.

Enjoy tips: read more at Household Tips here on 451 Press.

There’s good news behind the hype about vitamin E. The more you read about vitamin E, the more confusing it gets. This year, alone, challenged the antioxidant’s reputation for staving off heart trouble. That, however, isn’t the whole pictures. With a focus on vitamin E, studies that while the vitamin supplementation may cure heart disease, the most important finding in the study was that vitamin E did cure the chances of major cardiovascular problems by 26 percent in women past the age of 65.

Vitamin E is a required nutrient that protects vitamin A and essential fatty acids, and stops the break down of body tissue. It also is a fat-soluable antioxidant, and that’s its main function. It pevent the oxidantion of cholesterol and fats to prevent the formation of arterial lesions known as astherosclerosis.

The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin E is 15 milligrams, but many adults don’t get enough from food sources alone, especially if their watching their weight. Most vitamin E is from fats and oils, but dietrary recommendations are to limit fats and oils. Prime food sources of the supplement include almonds (7 mg per tbs.), sunflower oil (6 mg per tbs.) and avocado (3 mg per cup), all of which are full of fat and calories.

There are different forms of vitamin E as well. Alpha-tocopherol is the kind the body uses, but highly processed foods contain a type called gammatocopherol, which isn’t nearly as useful, If your normal diet is E-erratic, taking a multi-vitmain, which will ensure proper itake of vitamin E while keeping calories in check is a great addition. All multi-vitiamins have 30 IU of synthetic vitamin E, which will provide the 15 milligrams of alpha-tocopheroil you need daily. Because vitamin E is fat-soluable, it’s best to swallow it with food. Take it with your breakfast or lunch or with a meal that includes a fair amount of fat, or at bedtime when you have food in your stomach.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Eat more vegetables. No matter what meal it is or where you are at, always make yourself eat a healping of vegetables. If it’s at breakfast, make an omlet with peppers and onions. At lunch, eat a side salad with your meal. At dinner, try to incorporate green and yellow veggies into the dinner making.

*Enjoy getting tips? Check out “Life Tips Daily”. There are tips from everyday living to how to cut a cake with dental floss.

With the cold weather coming one of the main things to happen every season is sore throats. A sore throat, pharyngitis, is generally caused by a viral infection such as the cold or flu; other culprits include allergies, dryness, and muscle strain. To help soothe the mucous membranes that line a burning, irritated throat, try these natural cures.

•Throat Coat®: This tea from Traditional Medicinals™ contains a blend of herbs, including licorice root, marshmallow root, and slippery elm, known for their demulcent properties. Avoid if you have impaired liver or kidney function, or if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Use it by pouring 8 ounces of freshly boiled water over a tea bag and steep. Covered, for 10 to 15 minute. Four to six cups daily are recommended .

•Cold-Eeze®: The active ingredients, zinc, plays a role in maintianing membrane health. Also, sucking on a lozenge stimulates the production of saliva, which bathes the throat. Nausea is a common side effect of zinc, so don’t take it on an empty stomach. Avoid citrus for a half-hour before or after taking a lozenge. It can interfere with zinc’s effectiveness. Consult your doctor if you’re pregnant or nursing. Use it by completely dissolving one lozenge in the mouth at the first sign of symptoms; repeat every three to four hours as needed.

•Natural Herbal Sort Throat and Mouth Spray®: Anti-inflammatory herbs such as echinacea are delivered directly to the throat in a lubricating spray sans alcohol, which is drying to the mucous membranes. Safe as long as the advised dosage isn’t exceeded. Use it by taking four squirts four times a day, sprayed directly into the throat with Natural Dentist Herbal Sore Throat and Mouth Spray™. Or try one to three sprays of Herbal Fitness Herbal Throat Spray™.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Install low-flow showerheads and take shorter showers to conserve and save water. Also install low-flow toilets, a lot of water is wasted during one flush of the toilet.

“Winter Wellness Guide” 16 through 20 of 20

16. Keep Your Sinuses Clear: This is an especially challenging time of the year for the mucous membranes because of cold outdoor temperatures, indoor air pollution (heaters are on and windows closed, trapping pollutants), and dryness caused by forced hot-air heating systems. Mucous membranes thrive and maintain a strong degfense against viruses when the air is clean, moist, warm (65 to 85 degrees), oxygen-rich, and filled with negative ions. We breathe on a average of 23,000 times a day, and if the air we’re breathing itself creates cronic irritation to the mucous membreanse and makes us more susceptible to viruses. Use a botanical saline nasal spray, such as Sinus Survival Spray, which contians saline, aloe vera, godlseal extract, and grapefruit seed extract. It keeps mucous membranes moist, washes out inhaled particles, and has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal prperties. Use the spray every two to three hours throughout the day, especially in heavily polluted and dry conditions. Also try medicinal eucalyptus oil, which you can inhale from a tissue held over your noise and through a steam inhaler.

17. Eat Dark Chocolate: As October progresses, many women start to feel moody and depressed and experience intensified PMS. Craving for choclate goes through the roof. Make sure you have high-quality dark choclate available; 90 percent cocoa is too much, but 70 percent should be about right. Seasonal affective disorder is closely linked with PMS being worse during the winter, so borrowed light from windows and sky lights in your home and office can make a powerful difference.

18. Lighten Up: At least 30 minutes exposure to natural light outdoors, in addition to using a light box indoors, helps combat seasonal affective disorder. Natural light seems to have certain ingredients that just can’t be duplicated by an indoor light box. A common problem for people with seasonal affective dsiorder is serotonin deficiency. St. John’s wort (600 to 900 mg per day), 5_HTO ( 50 -200 mg per day), or SAM-e (400 to 1,2000 mg per day in enteric-coated tablets) can be quite helpful in rasing serotonin levels.

19. Eat Your Vitamins: Fresh thyme and rosemary in your cooking during the winter is a great addition. Thyme is an antiseptic and a digestive aid, while rosemary promotes circulation. Make sure to eat fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, including clementines, kiwi, oranges, dark-green vegetables, peppers, escarole, spinach, and broccoli. Add roasted red peppers to sandwiches and salads, too. Also have 1 tbs. of flaxmeal a day, usually in cereal or yogurt or even oatmeal in the morning, This assures that you will be getting a good balance of omega-3 fats, which help boost the immune system.

20. Drink A Warming Ginger Tea: Ginger boosts the immune system, clears the lungs, aids in digestion, and tastes yummy. Make a winter homemade brew: Mix 1 tbs. fresh grated organic gingerroot, 1 tsp. fresh organic lemon juice, and 1 tsp. honey in a 12-to16-ounce cup of very hot purified water, and let steep for five to 10 minutes before drinking. The honey, if locally farmed and pesticide-free, is also stimulating to the immune system.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Always turn off a light when you leave a room, you will not only see the changes on your energy bill you will also be helping conserve wasted energy that coal-producing power plants have to keep producing. Why leave the light on anyway?

“Winter Wellness Guide” 11 through 15 of 20

11. Have A Bowl Of Qi Soup: A thousand years ago, the Chinese started their tradition of eating a festive soup on the eighth day of the last lunar month (known as la ba) to bring about winter wellness. They beleive that winter is the time for the body to store nutrients and that eating well will bring improved health for the upcoming year, La Ba Rice Soup usually includes rice, red beans, soybeans, peanuts, walnuts, chestnuts, red dates, or lotus seeds. In chinese medical theory, these ingredients are potent anti-aging foods. Red dates, chestnuts, and lotus seeds tonify qi, the vital energy of the human body. To make the soup:
1. Choose any combination of the ingredients mentioned above.
2. Place two-thirds rice and one-third nuts, beans, dates, and/or seeds in a saucepan.
3. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients, then soak overnight. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the beans and rice are very soft. Take one small bowl a day.

12. Save Your Skin: When the weather cools, we turn on our heaters, drying out the air and consequently our skin. Change to a mild cleanser, like Cetaphil, Aveeno, or just a natural glycerin soap, and use it only on those areas that require washing: generally just the folds in the skin, or where skin touches skin. After washing, be sure and moisturize those areas that are prone to dryness-lower legs, hands, and forearms, and upper back-with cream-based moisturizers; the lotion based moisturizers, tend to dry the skin rather than emilliate them. These basic steps can prevent developing dry, cracked, itchy skin later.

13. Spruce Up Your Shower: After your done washing, turn off the water and put seven to 10 drops of black spruce oil in your hands. Black spruce oil is anti-bacterial and anti-infectious, and it supports the adrenal glands, which suffer when we get tired from the winter weather and lack of light. Spread the oil all over your skin from head to toe, except the mucous membrans. Always make sure to rub the oil on your abdomen, since there’s a lot of lymphatic tissue in that area. Then do 30 seconds of deep breathing and rinse off with cool water. When people follow this regimen every morning in the witner, it’s extremely rare that they get sick in any way.

14. Say “Good Day Sunshine!”: Start the day with a sunshine ritual. Get yourself a set of flatware that is bright. Like ones with yellow handles, bright yellow bowls, plates, cups and a matching teapot. Make a pot of warming ginger tea and have a steaming cup with your yellow bowl of cereal and bananas. If you rise before it’s light out and it’s dark, try eating by candlelight. Play music in the morning with a sunshine theme, like “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. The feel is similar to that at the time of the winter solstice. Bringing light from the darkness, and warmth and positive energy as well.

15. Brighten Up: If you live in a climate that gets very gray in winter, without a lot of sunlight, create a feeling of sunlight in what you wear. The first piece of clothing you reach for in the monring, whether it’s a cozy robe or your running gear, it should be in a vibrant color like orange. It will embrace you in warmth and raise your energy level.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Support your local economy and cut fossil-fuel consumption by keeping your shopping and errand trips local. If you have to drive a ways to purchase something or to pick something up several times a week, try grouping all of those trips into one. If you drive a great distance to work, take up carpooling and cut fossil-fuel waste by half.

“Winter Wellness Guide” 6 through 10 of 20

6. Plant A Winter Herb Garden: Try indoor winter gardening with full-spectrum lamps and lightbulbs. Gardening is meditative and connects us to the eart. It can really make a different in our mood, especially at a time when we tend toward psychological hibernation. You can geow your own St. John’s wort, or rosemary for its antioxidants, or sleep-enhancing herbs like valerian and hops. The seeds are widely available, and you can plant them in a box that can be transported outside once spring arrives.

7. Stop Winter Dryness: Vaginal dryness is an issue for menopausal women and can be more of problem during the holidays, when increased alcohol consumption leads to dehydration. Earth’s Botanical Harvest vaginal suppositories, available by prescription, work wonderfully; they contain vitamin E, black cohosh, and wild yam, and are very norishing, safe, and healing to the vaginal tissue. Use them four to five nights a week for two weeks, then every other night for one week, and then two nights a week.

8. Move Your Body: In the winter, when it gets dark out at 4 p.m., it’s harder to motivate yourself to go outside and exercise. Make a pact with a friend that you’ll take a walk every day. A winter walk, even at night, can be rejuvenating and wonderful. Make it your reward to come home to a nice fire. Winter is also the time when many new dance classes start up. Sign up for a tango or a salsa class-or just dance around your house for fun. It’s festive, and it can help lighten your mood and provide a good opportunity for socializing.

9. Fly Healthy: Prevent airborne illnesses when traveling by lubricating the nostriles and the inside of the ear with raw (unsalted) sesame oil. Olive oil is a decent substitute by does not possess the same anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties as sesame. Protecting yourself from food-borne illness is simple: Don’t eat the standard plane fare! Try fasting on hot herbal teas such as chamomile and mint or on hot water with lemon and honey, or call the airline ahead of time to request an East Asian vegetarian meal. The regular vegetarian meal tends to be loaded with poor-quality dairy that can depress the immune system, but the East Asian selection is more likely to be vegan. They can’t really mess that up too much.

10. Relax From Head To toe: The people who get sick in the winter are the ones who are stressed out. To stay healthy, make and effort to activate the relaxation response every single day. Try this exercise:
1. Sit or lie in a comfortable and quiet place with your body fully supported by a chair or the floor. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, deep inhale, deep exhale.
2. Bring your attention to the top of your head. Focus on your scalp and your forehead, noticing wheather there’s any tension there. Give it permission to just let go.
3. Progressively move your attention down through yor body, from head to toe, assessing each of the muscles alone the way and then mentally releasing any tension you find. Move from your head to your neck, shoulders, upper arms, lower arms, and fingers, your back all the way down your spinal column, around to you belly , your hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, calves, the arches of your feet, and your toes. The idea is to let go of the tension in your mind.
4. Take all the time you need. If there are places that still seem to holding tension after you finish, return there. Give that place permission to let go. Only when you feel completely relaxed should you slowly bring your attention back to the present.

*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Always wash your clothes on a full load or adjust the water level to accomadate the load size that you are washing. The less water wasted during that time will show up on your water bill later as well as show up in the amount of water wasted over all. Don’t be an addition, be a solution.