Water is truly amazing. Not only is it the most consumed beverage in the world, it is also the most useful substance to humans since we first crawled out of the primordial ooze. For thousands of years, people have been finding ways of making the water we use better for everyday life. Technologies such as water softeners to make cleaning easier, deionization for manufacturing, reverse osmosis for drinking & cooking all have their place. But too frequently, the one contaminant that people should be the most concerned about is often the most over-looked. It’s symptoms include acute and persistent diarrhea, extreme weight loss, compromised immune system, and in some cases death. It’s bacteria.
To start off, lets acknowledge that bacteria exists everywhere and most of it is harmless. Bacteria is broken down into two main categories: Pathogens, which can lead to diseases and (appropriately named) non-pathogenic, which are not disease causing. Ninety-eight percent of US water utilities disinfect the water with small doses chlorine which kills a large variety of waterborne pathogens. Sounds great, right?
This is where cryptosporidium comes in. This harmful pathogen (and others like it) has an outer shell that makes it highly resistant to chlorine. In fact, just 20 years ago Milwaukee residents became ill by the thousands and at least 69 people died as a result of a cryptosporidium outbreak. So how does the average homeowner protect their water supply from these little critters?
The best answer for a home is ultraviolet light. UV disinfection systems are typically long stainless steel chambers that encapsulate a UV bulb protected by a quartz sleeve. The water enters the chamber and once inside, any micro-organisms are rendered inert when their DNA is scrambled. At this point, all bacteria are effectively dead.
UV water disinfection systems are inexpensive and require little upkeep. The most popular brand of UV filter is UV Max, which sell for around $500-$800.Usually just replacing the bulb once per year is all that is required to keep your water 100% free of bacteria. Considering the average American will spend that much on a television, it seems a small price to pay for safe water.
Ultraviolet technology has been used in water treatment for decades and is a proven way to ensure that your water is safe from the most harmful and deadly contaminants. To find out more about this technology or to talk with a certified water specialist, visit USWaterSystems.com or call 1-800-608-8792.
No matter what sports you are in, taking necessary precautions and using apt accessories is equally essential and is the precise way to carry on. Sports not only keep your body active and are fun but also play an important part in toning your body. However, not using the right tool might be unsafe for your health and body. Keeping this in mind, Nature’s Aura came out with TPE Extra Thick Yoga Mat to match up to your comfort zone and skill level. Nature’s Aura is known for its eco friendly products and recyclable substances used in the product.
There are lots of exercise mat available in the market of different material and quality. Which is the most suitable one? This is the most common question that’s pops up in my mind or even in any one else’s mind if you go to buy it. After a brief research, I came out with the answer.
Most yoga mats were made in rubber or PVC earlier. However, now a new material, TPE has taken over the market and is quite common with yoga mats nowadays. Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) is a versatile compound that has some superior qualities as compared to PVCs. They are considered safer and stable over rubber and PVC mats. Besides, they can also be sterilized, unlike PVC, making it a better choice. Due to these reasons, it is used for medical application and for making toys for infants and kids. This definitely further clarifies the point that this compound is stable and non-toxic for everyone.
What are the features of the Yoga Mat?
TPE Extra Thick Yoga Mat by Nature’s Aura includes the following features:
· Made from Thermoplastic Elastometer (TPE), the versatile material commonly used for yoga mats and recommended by physiologists and yoga practitioners
· It is extra thicker as compared to other mats available in the market. Thick by 1/4”, these mats provide ulterior comfort, stability and the unique texture further ensures that the mat is anti-slippery.
· Washable, easy to handle and care
· The superior quality makes it durable for long life cycle.
· 100% recyclable and reusable material makes it eco friendly.
· These mats are free from harmful substances and heavy materials.
· It is considered ideal for all types of yoga due to its slip-resistant surface feature, which will provide traction in any environment.
· Besides premium quality, the company also focuses in making their mats colorful and trendy to look. These exercise mats is available in varied colors like purple, green, grey, blue and pink.
Where can you purchase these Yoga Mats?
With its high demands and superior quality, the TPE mats are not limited to its official site but are now also available in some of the best selling online sites. Amazon.com is one such leading online site that includes special categories for a wide variety of health and fitness products for all kind of people from novice to experts.
The TPE Yoga Mat is available on Amazon at a discounted price of $14.97 with some added benefits and facilities like free gift wrapping, free shipping on and above orders worth $35 and one-day shipping. With these qualities and features to offer at such a budget friendly price, it certainly makes worth buying it.
Fishes are one of the most healthy kind if food available, they are rich in many vitamins and healthy proteins which very advantageous for growth of children and an important food constituent for adults as well. Fishes are very nutritious in nature and contain fatty acids which help prevent you from many diseases. It is helpful in maintaining good eyesight. Consumption of fish helps you maintain your cholesterol levels and keeps you blood pressure intact. It is also an effective method of keeping blood sugar in control for a diabetic person. A big merit of eating fish is that it reduces the chances of cancer by a big proportion. It is also very profitable for women to eat fish while in pregnancy; it can help improve the child’s health until something harmful element in fish is found.
Mercury and other harmful elements in fishes
But in recent past it has been observed that fishes have been contaminated with toxic substances. Mercury, lead and many other elements harmful to human body have been found in fishes now days. These elements have adverse effects on the body of human beings. The major cause of this type of contamination is marine pollution. There is more than one factor that accounts for presence of mercury in fishes these days. It mainly comes from pollution by humans.
Discharge of harmful waste into the water is the major cause of this problem. Mercury is a bi product of many processes that take place and is also a part of many wastes. In some places this waste is properly treated but mostly the mercury present in the discharge reaches the water bodies and pollutes the environment causing life of these fishes difficult and further, consumption of these, affects human health. Emission from coal using power generation plants, oil refineries and poly vinyl chloride producing industries have high mercury content in their waste.
Eating fish recipes containing mercury is a very unhealthy practice. It can lead to many deficiencies and diseases. Although it is very helpful for pregnant women to eat fish for child’s good health, it can be very infectious eating fish containing mercury toxins. It may have a negative impact on child’s growth; it has been observed that children whose mothers have consumed mercury above the fatal level have a slower mental growth. Government and various other organisations worldwide are working in the wake of awareness about this particular situation. Strict regulations are being implemented to check the wastage and treat it before discharging into the sea.
Everybody knows that one of the most important nutrients required for the proper functioning of the body is Vitamin D. In addition to the regulation of the levels of phosphate and calcium in the blood, it is essential for the growth of the bones and protects the body from having osteoporosis, for more info you can refer http://www.vitaminddeficiency101.com. It is an unavoidable vitamin for children as the deficiency of Vitamin D may cause rickets in them. The lack of this nutrient can cause several health problems in women. If you do not take sufficient intake of Vitamin D, it may cause the development of several diseases and shows symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency.
Main causes of Vitamin D deficiency
The main reason of the lack of enough Vitamin D in the body is because of not acquiring enough amount of this vitamin in their regular lives. One needs to take this vitamin into the body in the nutritional or supplemental mode, for info of some vitamin rich foods one can refer http://www.vitaminddeficiency101.com/vitamin-d-rich-foods.html. Another important cause for the vitamin D deficiency is not the direct exposure of sunlight. In some cases, the kidneys cannot transform this nutrient into an activated form that the body needs. Simply evading or not getting sufficient amount of Vitamin D from the sunlight may lead to the condition of Vitamin D deficiency.
Need of Sun exposure
As you know Vitamin D is very essential for women as it is necessary for calcium absorption and the prevention of osteoporosis. Other than that, it is essential for the body’s immune system. Vitamin D deficiency is believed to be a known cause for several diseases like cancer, diabetes and cancer. Even though overexposure to the sun rays is harmful to the body and skin, a particular amount of direct sunlight exposure is necessary for the absorption of Vitamin D to the body. In fact, the best way to absorb this vitamin into the body is though food, but through the direct exposure to sunlight.
Prevent the deficiency of Vitamin D
Direct exposure to sunlight for nearly twenty minutes is sufficient to produce the sufficient amount of vitamin D in the body. This much of exposure should produce the acceptable level of this nutrient, say up to 20,000 IU. One cannot get exposure by sitting in the car or at home. For that you require the exposure of sunlight. Even you need to take a supplement of vitamin D during cold months. The normal range of Vitamin D require by a person is approximately 50-80 ng/ml. If the test shows below that you need to take a high dosage of this vitamin as per the instructions of the doctor.
If, like many, the New Year has brought with it a new level of motivation for you to get your act into gear and achieve those strength and fitness levels you’ve always dreamed of, then welcome to the club! There’s nothing like using the New Year as an opportunity to increase your fitness and stamina to, above all else, ensure you look and feel the way YOU want to. Of course, we all set about rigorous fitness and training regimes, however in many instances, they’re difficult to stick to. We set ourselves targets, goals and put together a plan for achieving them, however when we’re still in the cold months, many of the activities which we’d like to do are too difficult to actually motivate ourselves to do.
As such, many of us turn to the gym at this time of year in order to help us meet our fitness goals, something which in itself can provide a whole host of encouragement. Going running on your own is easy to skip for a day or two, however when it comes to training in the gym with others, it’s far harder to say you’ll give it a miss. The gym comes with that sense of motivation from others which many other training activities lack and, as far as we’re concerned, if you want to reach your fitness goals, get yourself a gym membership if you haven’t done already.
Whilst there’s absolutely no substitute for long, hard training sessions, if you’re not currently using supplements, there’s every chance you’re not meeting your goals as soon as you could be. Above all else, supplements can help you meet those goals by giving your body what it needs to increase strength and stamina and, as far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing wrong with giving it a helping hand. The big consideration, however, is which supplements to use. Whilst there’s been much controversy in recent years surrounding many supplements, if you stick to natural bodybuilding supplements such as those from Tonvara, you can’t go wrong. When you use natural supplements, you know exactly what you’re putting in your body and you can be confident that you’re not ingesting anything which you shouldn’t be. It’s a surefire way to give your training sessions that little extra kick they need and, so long as you put in the hard work yourself, you’ll see yourself getting that much needed boost towards meeting your goals.
Fresh and raw fruit juice is an important and nutritious part of your daily diet. It contains a whole host of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney stones, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.
People choose to juice for many different reasons, whether it be for general health and well-being, upping your iron intake or ensuring the body is getting the right vitamins. But, with so many fruits to choose from, it can sometimes feel daunting to know where to begin.
It may be that you have been diagnosed with a particular deficiency or shortage of certain nutrients, or perhaps you simply feel the need to move away from processed food for the first time and increase your vitamin and mineral intake across the board.
Today, there is a wealth of scientific research available at the click of a button, enabling us all to make informed decisions and understand the elements contained within our foods. But to save you time, we've pulled together the below list of fruits and their own unique benefits, designed to help you maximise your juicing regimen. Enjoy.
(For more information on juicing and juicers visit this website)
Best juices for iron
Dietary iron is vital in assisting the blood to transport oxygen to the cells and fruit juices are a quick and tasty way of upping your intake of iron. A slight iron deficiency can cause anaemia (weakness and fatigue), while a chronic deficiency of iron can result in organ failure – which is hardly desirable. Thankfully, though, there are plenty of iron rich fruits out there.
Apples are extremely popular fruits to juice. Not only do they taste great, they are relatively low in calories at 114 calories per cup of juice and are also a great source of iron. Apples also contain other handy nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and manganese, all of which help to keep the doctor at bay.
The trusty tomato, which is technically classed as a berry so therefore a fruit, is also rich in iron. Just an eight ounce serving of fresh tomato juice will provide you with 1.05 milligrams of iron. If you are wanting to incorporate more iron in your diet, then watermelon is another super source, typically available throughout the year, one-eighth of a medium-sized watermelon contains almost twice as much iron as the same amount of fish.
Also, worth a mention is citrus fruits including lemons and oranges. Although they contain low levels of iron, they are rich in vitamin C which improves iron absorption.
Best for vitamins
Many fruits contain vitamins, although some are a richer source than others. We've picked the grapefruit and the orange because they are packed to the brim with a number of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Introduce these two beauties to your juicing routine if you want to radiate health from the inside, out.
Grapefruit is full of Vitamins A, B and C and help to stimulate the digestive enzymes, boosting the digestive system and is an excellent cleanser for the lymphatic system, which is great if you are juicing to detox or lose weight.
Packed full of Vitamin A, B1, B6 and C, oranges are brilliant for optimising health, particularly when it comes to fighting off colds, destroying free radicals which cause ageing of the skin and flushing toxins from the body.
Best for flavour
Who doesn't love the tropical, sweet taste of pineapple! This fruit is just the ticket to make almost any juice taste delicious and works well with both vegetables and fruit. And if you are an allergy sufferer, this fruit is a must have for your juicing regimen. Pineapples contain bromeline, an enzyme which has the ability to dissolve mucus which will really help to relieve the symptoms of hay fever and asthma.
If you are concerned that removing the pineapple's skin will add too much time to your daily juicing, then fear no more! You can actually juice the skin of a pineapple!
Let's not forget the luscious lemon - we'd consider this a must have ingredient within any ‘juicy’ kitchen. A simple squeeze of lemon can completely transform the taste of vegetable juice, helping to make it much more palatable.
Best for yield
A feeling common among juicers is the disbelief in how little juice can result from certain fruits. We've all watched in anticipation as the juicer works its magic, and only a tiny yield is produced as a result - which is not ideal if you are planning on producing enough juice to last you throughout the day!
To keep your grocery bill down to a minimum it is always good to know which have the highest yield. Apples, cucumbers, kiwis and pineapples are all brilliant, and you'll find that a little will go a long way.
Of course, your choice of juicer can also play a part in yield. Spend the extra on getting a cold press juicer and you will benefit from up to a 35% increase in extraction rate. In fact, squeezing every last drop from your produce will quickly trim down what you pay at the tills, helping you to recoup that extra investment in no time.
Not a week goes by that we are not reminded that type 2 diabetes presents one of the most significant health challenges of the 21st century. Only last week research about pre-diabetes identified the extent of the problem and the health costs that would result.
There is no denying the stark reality of the issue but what can be done to help people with diabetes or at risk of diabetes. Overly stretched clinics cannot cope with seeing all the people with type 2 diabetes they ought to let alone bringing screening for –re-diabetes
at the moment so what can we do?
My observation is that we need to change the conversation health care practitioners are having with patients. Instead of repeatedly telling them what they shouldn't be doing and what they ought to be dong we ought to be finding out out where they are at.
We focus on behaviour without investigating what impacts on people’s health behaviour. We make judgements and proclaim advice without getting to know people properly, maybe we don’t want to, maybe we already know that this person will go quickly from diet to tablets and ultimately to insulin treatment, the chances of weight loss minimal, the burden to the system inevitable. You get a sense of blame and finger pointing in the press. Obesity is a lifestyle issue and that the people who are obese really should know better and type 2 diabetes a devastating consequence of laziness and over eating...
A recent article in the BMJ (1) highlighted the stigma that people with type2 diabetes experience; they only have themselves to blame for their condition and thus feel they are treated differently to people with type1 diabetes and other long term conditions.
Does this ring bells for you in practice? I have to admit that I had to work hard in supporting people with type 2 diabetes, many people I got to know had a very low view of themselves without me adding to that complex and complicated issue.
Shouldn't we be asking people where they are at with their views of self and their condition? Instead of filling the time in the consultation with advice shouldn't there be room for the person to explore what they feel they can address and what support they might need to improve their situation, given space to explore issues for themselves.
I think we need to offer this more often and stop telling people what to do, having that type of conversation meets listening and allowing for silence and uncertainty. Let’s support people so that they are leaving the clinic with an action list not a set of instructions. They are not the same thing and would make a huge difference to how people view the role of the clinic and the health care personal they see at the clinic. Instead of a weight loss target, they leave with a list of activities to explore, swimming pools to visit, or ideas about new social contacts, enabling and empowering, doable and will ultimately lead to a feeling better about themselves. The results may take slightly longer BUT once we have a better relationship we can achieve more together to encourage more healthy lifestyles..
Courtesy of Annie Barr Associates
- Browne JL, Ventura A, Mosely K Speight J (2013)
‘I call it the blame and shame disease’: a qualitative study about perceptions of social stigma surrounding type 2 diabetes BMJ Open retrieved on 20/06/14 fromhttp://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/11/e003384.short