Bullying but why?

I am an educator and a nutritionist. Have recently had my book on naturopathy “Qudrat ka Dawakhana’ published.

I’ve met all sorts of people who are passionate about healthy eating. My experience has been that most people looking to improve and maintain their health through optimal food choices and a balanced lifestyle have good intentions and seek to be healthy so that they can enjoy being alive.

Sadly, I’ve also known some people who have gone into an emotional death spiral of sorts, where the desire for better health transforms into something quite dark, a mindset that seems to rate people’s worth by what they eat and how thin or fit they appear.

Six years ago when my mother was dying of cancer I was deeply immersed in learning about the health benefits of water fasting, I followed a strict vegan diet, choosing to eat mostly raw foods with small servings of cooked vegetables and legumes, .

At that time, I became good friends with  someone who was a true champion of the raw food diet. She had serious dental problems that she couldn’t afford to have treated, but she was close to all raw, an exercise enthusiast, and overall, an inspiration to those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

I met this lady years later I wondered what she would think about me marrying someone who wasn’t a strict vegan to any extreme. And since getting married, though I was still very conscious about my diet, I didn’t get too crazy about avoiding the occasional processed treat like non-dairy ice cream or chips and pizza.

Well, as soon as I offered my friend some to have pizza after our huge salad dinner, I saw something flicker in my friend’s face. She was still pleasant, but I sensed that she was dismayed over us having such foods.

Though she never specifically condemned my shift away from the diet that I faithfully followed , over the next few months, our friendship fizzled away.

In one e-mail, she mentioned that she was as determined as ever not to lower her standards, which I guess was her way of gently letting me know that she couldn’t be friends with someone who wasn’t committed to the same way of eating.

Here’s the thing: though it hurt a bit to feel rejected based on my food choices, I think my friend was quite civil about expressing her values.

Sadly, I have found that some people with my friend’s mindset on diet can get downright elitist and mean when they interact with people who don’t live up to their ideas on what a healthy diet and lifestyle look like.

Take, for example, a message that one viewer sent to a morning show hostess:

“Hi, It’s unusual that I see your morning show, but I did so for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years. Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular.”

“Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle.”

The hostess responded to this message, saying

“Now those of us in the media, we get a healthy dose of critiques from our viewers throughout the year, and we realize that it comes with having a job in the public eye.

“The truth is, I am overweight. You could call me fat, and yes, even obese, on a doctor’s chart. But to the person who wrote me that letter, do you think I don’t know that,  your cruel words are pointing out something that I don’t see?

“You don’t know me. You are not a friend of mine. You are not a part of my family. And you have admitted that you don’t watch this show.

“So you know nothing about me but what you see on the outside. And I am much more than a number on the scale.

“That critic’s words mean nothing to me, but what really angers me about this is there are children who don’t know better, who get e-mails as critical as the one she received, or in may cases even worse, each and every day.

The internet has become a weapon. Our schools have become a battleground and this behavior is learned. It is passed down from people like the one who wrote that e-mail.

“If you were at home and you were talking about the fat news lady, guess what? Your children are probably going to go to school and call someone fat.

“To all of the children out there who feel lost, who are struggling with your weight, with the color of your skin, you sexual preference, your disability, even the acne on your face, listen to me right now: do not let your self worth be defined by bullies.”

Be Happy & stand up to them! Never have doubt in yourself that you cannot change what needs to be changed!

 

Itching and scratching what a nuisance!

Scratching isn’t the only solution to an itch. The kitchen cupboards hold a few more.

                                         Home Remedies from the Cupboard

Baking soda. Baking soda battles itches of all kinds. For widespread or hard-to-reach itches, soak in a baking soda bath. Add 1 cup baking soda to a tub of warm water. Soak for 30 to 60 minutes and air dry. Localized itches can be treated with a baking soda paste. Mix 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. Apply to the itch, but do not use if the skin is broken.

Oatmeal. Add 1 to 2 cups finely ground oatmeal to a warm bath (not hot or you might have breakfast for the next month in your tub) to ease your itches.

Home Remedies from the Refrigerator

Lemon. Many American folk remedy recipes call for using a lemon to treat itchy skin — and rightly so. The aromatic substances in a lemon contain anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help reduce itching. If nothing else, you’ll smell good. Squeeze undiluted lemon juice on itchy skin and allow to dry.

Home Remedies from the Spice Rack

Cloves and Juniper Berries. The American Indians of the Paiute, Shoshone, and Cherokee tribes knew how to stop an itch in its tracks. They used what nature provided, namely juniper berries. (No need to run out in the wilderness to gather berries. They are available in some grocery stores.) These berries contain anti-inflammatory, volatile substances. When combined with cloves, which contain eugenol to numb nerve endings, the result is no more itch. To make a salve of both spices, melt 3 ounces of unsalted butter in a saucepan. In a separate pan, melt a lump of beeswax — about the amount of 2 tablespoons. When the beeswax has melted, combine with butter and stir well. Add 5 tablespoons ground juniper berries and 3 teaspoons ground cloves to the mixture and stir. Allow to cool and apply to itchy skin. Note: It is best to grind the spices at home because the volatile substances are preserved better in whole berries and cloves.

 

Basil. Splash your skin with refreshing basil tea. Like cloves, basil contains high amounts of eugenol, a topical anesthetic. Place 1/2 ounce dried basil leaves in a 1-pint jar of boiling water. Keep it covered to prevent the escape of the aromatic eugenol from the tea. Allow to cool. Dip a clean cloth into the tea and apply to itchy skin as often as necessary.

Mint. If you’re saving that basil for spaghetti sauce, try a mint tea rinse instead. Chinese folk medicine values mint as a treatment for itchy skin and hives. Mint contains significant amounts of menthol, which has anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically. In general, mint also contains high amounts of the anti-inflammatory rosmarinic acid, which is readily absorbed into the skin. To make a mint tea rinse, place 1 ounce dried mint leaves in 1 pint boiling water. Cover and allow to cool. Strain, dip a clean cloth in the tea, and apply to the itchy area when necessary.

Thyme. If you’re saving that mint for a glass of lemonade, there is one more spice on the rack that makes a good anti-itch rinse: thyme. This fragrant herb contains large amounts of the volatile constituent thymol, which has anesthetic and anti-inflammatory properties. In other words, it numbs that darn itch while reducing inflammation caused by all your scratching. To make a thyme rinse, place 1/2 ounce dried thyme leaves in a 1-pint jar of boiling water. Cover and allow to cool. Strain and dip a clean cloth into the tea, then apply to affected areas. Note: In Chinese folk medicine, dandelion root, easily plucked from most yards, is added to this rinse. If in season, place 1 ounce dried dandelion root and 1/2 ounce dried thyme leaves into 1 quart boiling water and proceed as directed.

Home Remedies from the Windowsill

Aloe vera. Aloe vera is a must for burns, but how about itches? The same constituents that reduce blistering and inflammation in burns also work to reduce itching. Snap off a leaf, slice it down the middle, and rub the gel only on the itch.

More Do’s and Don’ts

• Try not to scratch!
• Wear gloves, if need be, to keep yourself from opening your skin by scratching with your nails!

 

Healthy Lungs are vital!

                                  How To Save Your Lungs Before It’s Too Late

We don’t put enough emphasis on protecting our lungs against harmful macro and microscopic particles; this is a huge mistake, as reduced lung capacity is more damaging to quality of life than say, sub-optimal digestion, mild to moderate liver dysfunction, or even reduced cardiac output.

 

Why are healthy lungs so vital to the rest of your organs and body parts?,fres

It’s within the very thinnest branches of tissue that line the base of your lungs where your body accepts oxygen from your environment and expels carbon dioxide. Without this ongoing exchange of gases, you can’t adequately convert nutrients from food into usable energy.

 How to measure lung dysfunction?

 Inspection

Look for signs of strained breathing.

Other obvious signs of lung dysfunction are slightly purple/blue lips or fingernails, and audible distress with breathing.

Palpation

Place your hands symmetrically on both sides of the posterior aspect of a person’s ribcage; see if your hands move about the same amount during deep inhalation. Asymmetrical movement might indicate abnormal presence of fluid or air in the space between the lungs and the chest wall.

Also feel the transmission of the person’s voice as vibration (called tactile fremitus) against your palms as they’re pressed up against his/her chest wall

Percussion

To help confirm palpatory findings, percussion is used, where you use your hands to steadily percuss against the chest wall while listening to how hollow or full the chest cavity sounds along different points.

Auscultation

Auscultation is the process of listening to lung sounds with a stethoscope. During auscultation, try to hear what they call “vesicular breath sounds,” which is to describe a mild influx of air with inhalation, and little sound during exhalation.

Whistling-type noises, scratchy sounds, noise that resembles what you hear when breathing through a snorkel, gurgling, and an abnormally quiet lung field all indicate some form of distress.

Here’s the thing: you don’t want to wait for your doctor to stumble upon an abnormal finding before becoming mindful of what you’re breathing in during everyday activities. In most cases, by the time of a significant finding using the screening procedures described above, chances are that dysfunction and disease have been at play for a good while.

Living in a neighborhood with good air quality is a huge plus.

The most important priority in preventing lung disease is to minimize exposure to concentrated sources of lung irritants, and where such exposure is near impossible to avoid.

It’s vital to take proper precaution with optimal ventilation and protective gear.

When sanding down minor repair jobs, drilling into wood, or doing any other basic chores that require being close to even a small cloud of dust, it’s well worth the effort to wear a respirator with a decent filter.

Wear a mask when landscaping or where there is regular cutting of fresh stone, which kicks up all sorts of lung irritants like fiberglass and carborundum grit.

To those who cut stone or sand drywall joints for a living and feel fine after taking a good long shower after work (all without wearing a respirator), remind them that repeated exposure to irritants can lead to numbing of our natural feedback mechanisms, kind of like how a smoker eventually learns to inhale tobacco smoke without experiencing much of a negative physiological reaction.

 Please remember that it’s not just visible dust that you should strive to avoid and protect yourself against. If chemicals that you work with give off strong smells that make you feel nauseous, you need to figure out how to avoid these substances – nausea that’s triggered by stimulation of your olfactory system is a strong sign that you’re in the presence of lung irritants that, over time, can create irreversible damage.

Here’s a look at six substances that are highly capable of causing lung damage:

1. Crystalline silica

Crystalline silica is a component of soil, sand, and rocks (like granite and quartzite). Only quartz and cristobalite silica that can be inhaled as particles are designated known carcinogens.

Where is it found?

• In the air during mining, cutting, and drilling.
• Drywall mud, household cleaners, paints, glass, brick, ceramics, silicon metals in electronics, plastics, paints, and abrasives in soaps.

 

Occupations most at risk:

Quarry workers, plasterers, drywallers, construction workers, brick workers, miners, stonecutters (including jewellery), workers involved in drilling, polishing, and crushing, pottery makers, glassmakers, soap or detergent manufacturers, farmers, dentists, and auto workers.

 

2. Wood dust

Wood dust is made up of particles of wood that are created by cutting and sanding.

 

Where is it found?

• Anywhere wood is chipped, turned, drilled, or sanded.

Occupations most at risk:

Those in the construction industry, and to some extent, those in the logging industry.

 

3. Asbestos

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that form heat-resistant fibers.

 

Where is it found?

• Naturally in rock formations.
• In some auto parts like brakes, gaskets, and friction products.
• In some industrial textiles.
• In some safety clothing.

 

Occupations most at risk:

Asbestos miners, brake repair mechanics, building demolition or maintenance workers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, construction workers, electricians, plumbers, plaster and drywall installers, auto mechanics.

 

4. Chromium (hexavalent)

Chromium is a naturally occurring mineral that becomes carcinogenic when it is transformed into its hexavalent form through industrial processes.

 

Where is it found?

• In the manufacturing of stainless steel and other alloys.
• In the industrial wood preservative, CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate).
• Used in small amounts in printer ink toners, textile dyes, and during water treatment.

 

Occupations most at risk:

Welders while welding stainless steel, printing machine and press operators, machinists, and pipefitters.

 

5. Nickel and its compounds

Metallic nickel, a possible carcinogen, is a silver-like, hard metal or grey powder. Nickel compounds, known carcinogens, tend to be green to black, but yellow when heated.

 

Where is it found?

Used to make stainless steel, and also found in magnets, electrical contacts, batteries, spark plugs, and surgical/dental prostheses.

 

Occupations most at risk:

Welders, construction millwrights, industrial mechanics, metal spraying workers, machinists, machining/tooling inspectors, nickel refinery workers, iron/steel mill workers, metal ore miners, and manufacturers in structural metals, motor vehicle parts, boilers, and shipping containers.

 

6. Formaldehyde

Associated cancers:

Nasopharyngeal cancer, leukemia

What is it?

A colorless, combustible gas with a pungent odor.

 

Where is it found?

• Used in the manufacture of textiles, resins, wood products, and plastics.
• As a preservative, formaldehyde is found in embalming fluid.
• As a preservative and disinfectant, it’s used in soaps, shampoos, deodorants, mouthwash, and cosmetics.

 

Occupations most at risk:

Embalmers, pathology lab operators, wood and paper product workers, and health care professionals (nurses, dentists) exposed during use of medicinal products that contain formaldehyde. Also at risk are painters, manual laborers, product assemblers, foundry workers, and those who teach in cadaver laboratories.

 

How Important Are Your Lungs?

Consider that of the total amount of waste materials that your body eliminates via urine, stools, mucous, breath, and sweat, approximately 75 percent by volume is handled by your lungs. Put another way, your lungs are at least as important to your body’s ability to experience ongoing cleansing and detoxification as your digestive tract and kidneys. And to maintain healthy lungs, you have to minimize your exposure to the pollutants described above.

Beyond avoiding concentrated pollutants, here are a few tips to help ensure healthy gas exchange within your lungs:

 

1. First and most obviously, you need to be around fresh air. This means being outdoors often, and when you’re indoors for long stretches at a time, you should try to crack open a window or two whenever possible. Or at the very least, ensure that the ventilation system that controls the air quality in your work and living spaces is functioning properly – this includes making sure that furnace filters are replaced regularly.

It also means that while you sleep, when the weather permits, you should crack open a window so that your lungs are exposed to a steady stream of fresh oxygen, and that the air in your room doesn’t get dominated by carbon dioxide.

1. Second, you need to be mindful of how well you’re breathing. Respiratory rate – the number of cycles of inhalation and exhalation you experience per minute, is affected by a few different factors.

Emotional stress tends to promote shallow breathing. So being mindful of your emotional state and making a habit of taking purposeful, deep breaths in and out as often as possible make for a concrete strategy to ensure optimal intake of oxygen and elimination of carbon dioxide.

1. An often-overlooked determinant of respiratory rate is how healthy your spine and surrounding joints are. Together, your spine, ribcage, and sternum (breast bone) form a protective case that surrounds your heart and lungs. At every point of contact between your ribs and your spine and breast bone, there is some joint play – that is, built-in room to move, not a lot, but enough to allow for optimal expansion of your lungs as you inhale.

Also, from rib to rib, you have cartilage that helps keep your ribs in place, but that also provides just enough give to allow your ribs to slightly expand and contract as your breathe.

Over time, chronic stress, lack of exercise, and lack of mindful breathing can cause all of these moving parts to become somewhat brittle and unable to provide the flexibility that is essential to helping you breathe optimally.

This is one reason why regular stretching of your spine, ribcage, and surrounding tissues is important to your health. By keeping all of these joints moving properly, you ensure that you have the physical capacity to fill your lungs with ample amounts of oxygen throughout the day and night.

 

Beyond stretching these areas, please remember the importance of mindfully breathing in and out throughout the day – this seemingly trivial habit can be immensely helpful to your health.

And don’t forget to wear a protective mask or respirator the next time you have some sanding or drilling to do.

 

Please consider sharing this information with family and friends who may be incurring lung tissue damage without knowing it.

 

Thank you.

 

The secret pleasures of menopause!

                                     Unlocking the Secret Pleasures of Menopause

 

Physician-author Christiane Northrup tells women that midlife can be a good thing, especially for those who boost their nitric oxide and foster their sexuality

WebMD Feature

As an obstetrician-gynecologist, Christiane Northrup, MD, of Yarmouth, Maine, has spent years caring for women when something went wrong with their bodies.

These days, she doesn’t see patients anymore, devoting her time instead to speaking and writing. At midlife, she has a new plan and a new mission: teach women everything that can go right with their bodies when they reach midlife.

 

The Nitric Oxide Connection

One of the points of Northrup’s chatty new tome is getting women to say yes to pleasure.

“You can turn yourself on,” she tells women approaching midlife. “You can rewire your brain and your body to feel more pleasure. The brain is the biggest sex organ in the body.”

Getting to all this pleasure, she says, depends on paying attention to your nitric oxide levels, which she’ll bet are probably too low.

Nitric what? Many midlife women may never have thought about — or heard about — nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is a colorless, odorless gas that tells blood vessels to relax and to widen, in turn resulting in a lowering of blood pressure.

 

Discoveries about nitric oxide that led to the development of the ED drug Viagra earned three scientists a Nobel Prize a decade ago.

Although it’s the stuff by which erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs work, it’s not the exclusive domain of men, Guy’s you reading this???

 

Northrup says. (Indeed, one of the 1998 Nobel recipients, Ferid Murad, MD, co-wrote a book, The WellnessSolution, published in 2006, promoting a regimen of diet, exercise, vitamins, and antioxidants that works by increasing nitric oxide levels.)

Northrup says it’s time midlife women discovered the benefits of boosting nitric oxide levels as their own gateway to better sexuality and sensuality at midlife and beyond.

“Most of us don’t produce enough to keep us vibrantly healthy,” she says.

Practicing her suggestions will boost levels, she says. Simply thinking joyous thoughts can boost it, she claims. “A joyous thought would be: ‘The best times of my life are yet to come.'”

 

Boosting nitric oxide can also be accomplished by exercising regularly, meditating, and having sex regularly, she says.

Keep at it folks 😉

 

Ever heard of a miner’s canary?

 

Before we had all these tech gadgets to measure toxins, coal miner’s took a bird in a cage with them to work!

If the canary stopped singing (meaning it died), The miners knew they’d be next if they didn’t get out fast… usually it meant that there was too much

Carbon monoxide or methane gas.

Canaries are no longer used in mines, but they are kept as pets, and if you keep yours in the kitchen while cooking with a nonstick pan, it might die.

Some people keep their pet birds in the kitchen. It’s a natural gathering place for family, friends and pets. But bird owners should be aware that there are potential dangers in the kitchen, too. Cooking fumes, smoke and odors that have little or no effect on people can seriously sicken and even kill some pet birds, often quite quickly. Dr. Karen Rosenthal, DVM offers tips to keep pet birds safe.

1. Always keep your pet bird out of the kitchen while cooking.
2. Never leave heated cookware unattended.

3. Never pre-heat your cookware on high heat.
4. Always turn on the exhaust fan or open a window before cooking.

5. Keep your pet birds away from sprays and perfumes.

Dr. Karen Rosenthal, DVM MS, an Avian Veterinarian and Director of Special Species Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

 

 

Words of the wise about Fasting

Words of the wise about Fasting.

 

Words of the wise about Fasting

“The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages may be preserved by quotation!”

Mahatma Gandhi first turned to fasting to lose weight, but also because he’d been inspired by memorable quotations of noteworthy human beings words and experiences.

Just like Buddha, Christ, Muhammad or others among our species’ greatest teachers and thinkers who’ve done this marvelous self-improvement technique before us, including all three Fathers of Western Medicine—Hippocrates, Galen and Paracelsus.

The myriad benefits of prolonged, scientific fasting occur on three levels–physiologically, psychologically and spiritually.

Dalai Lama notes that: “True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one’s own self being fully realized.”

Siddhartha Gautama, at 36, fasted 49 days under that now-famous tree in Bodhgaya, India, achieving Enlightenment, or the Awakened state, during the process. “Buddha” is Sanskrit for “Awake”–a state free from all obstructions to knowledge and to disturbing emotions. .

“Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity. Enter again into yourself.”–Saint Augustine

“Fasting is an effective and safe method of detoxifying the body. . .a technique that wise men have used for centuries to heal the sick. Fast regularly and help the body heal itself and stay well. Give all of your organs a rest. Fasting can help reverse the aging process, and if we use it correctly, we will live longer, happier lives.”–James Balch, M.D. (“Prescription For Natural Healing”)

“The ideal technique for successful fasting is the use of fresh, raw fruit and vegetable juices. On such a diet, the full spectrum of nutrients is supplied in an easily assimilated form, so the digestive tract is able to remain essentially at rest.”–Rudolph Ballentine, M.D. (“Diet & Nutrition”; established holistic medical clinics in Chicago, New York, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Honesdale, PA, and author of Radical Healing.

Fasting possesses great power. If practiced with the right intention, it makes man a friend of God. The demons are aware of that.
– Tertullian

Happy Fasting 🙂

 

Canker Sores or Mouth Ulcers

These works to relieve pain of canker sores or mouth ulcers.

 

• HONEY. Apply honey to the affected area as many times as possible. When you apply honey, the affected area will start letting out some kind of liquid (which will start mixing with saliva), keep spitting this out.
• PEROXIDE> Another tried and tested remedy is to hold peroxide mixed 1part peroxide two parts water in the mouth for 3 minutes then rinse with warm salt water.
• LEMON & LIME> Take a small container preferably the Cap of a bottle in that mix squeezed lemon or lime juice, and rubbing alcohol Take a QTIP stir the mixture with it and apply the QTIP end to the sore. It will hurt and burn like crazy but will cure the sore.
• MYLANTA & BENADRYL. For mouth Sores or skin cut in the mouth, make a combination of mylanta and benadryl in 2:1 ratio and use a QTIP to apply. It works like a charm.
• WALNUT EXTRACT. Applied directly to the affected area. It seals and dries the skin and you can see the results immediately. The liquid can be applied to minor cuts and scrapes or pimples. It helps to heal plus prevents breakouts. Apply it before anything flares out.
• SALT. All you have to do is put a little salt on it. This dries out the bacteria. It will sting quite a bit, do this until sore is healed.
• FAST FOOD. Eliminate pizza, juices and acidic foods it will heal. The sores quickly
• IBRUFEN. A good ibuprofen dose will also help.
•  RED WINE. Rinse the mouth for several seconds with red wine (non-alcoholic is OK). Repeat three
• times per day until mouth sores are gone.
• 

 

Lavender sweet lavender you changed my life

I have had a sleeping disorder for many years. On my last trip to the USA a friend of my sister Maria told me how her hubby and she slept like babies after massaging their feet with lavender oil. My ears perked up. But due to my busy schedule i forgot all about it. later on went to Kentucky to spend Christmas with my friend and her family. Got o gift of lavender body lotion and body wash. It was called “sleep”.. I started using is and am so grateful to all those people who helped bring it to my knowledge. Following is what my research showed me on Lavender. It is a miracle herb! Lavender sweet lavender Peace to all mankind Tranquility, purity The name lavender comes from the Latin lavare, “to wash,” since it was often used in bath and laundry waters. Its calming and soothing properties make it unique. According to Nicholas Culpeper who wrote of the herb in 1653, lavender is especially of good use for problems of the head, colds, sluggishness, cramps, convulsions, weakness, and palsy. It strengthens the stomach and frees the liver and spleen from obstructions. It is also helpful in bringing about the menstrual flow. The flowers of lavender, steeped in a little alcohol, effectively promote the flow of urine, and help ease flatulence and colic. A decoration made with these flowers plus horehound, fennel, asparagus root, and cinnamon can help lightheadedness. Gargling with this as a mixture is good for toothache, and taking two spoonfuls internally can help with a lost voice. Lavender is recommended for any faintness or trembling of the emotional body, and can be applied to the temples or sniffed. It is not to be used where there is excessive blood or fever. Care should be taken with the oil drawn from lavender, usually called “oil of spike” because of its piercing potency. Lavender’s tranquil properties make it an excellent mild sedative and painkiller, as well as in treating insect bites and small burns. Blended for use as massage oil, lavender works wonders with skin problems, rheumatic aches, insomnia, and depression. It’s easy to see why Mercury is said to rule this herb which is so helpful to the head and brain, for Mercury rules thinking and the mind. Author Izaak Walton once said, “I long to be in a house where the sheets smell of lavender.” And it was Wang Wei, the eighth century Chinese writer, who said it best. “Look in the flowers and perfumes of nature for peace of mind and joy of life.” A symbol of cleanliness and virginity, lavendar once was used medicinally for sunstroke. Included among the lavenders is a stunning bush of Lavandula heterophylla, a large plant that is almost continually in bloom. It has the sweetest smelling foliage, is equally good when dried, and is a stunning garden plant — but it must be wintered inside. This herb is reputed to be one of the plants most loved by the Virgin Mary, for as it does now, in ancient times it represented purity, cleanliness and virtue. Churches were decorated with lavender on Saint Barnabas Day. L. vera is the “true” lavender of which other lavenders are varieties. It is helpful for all disorders that trouble the head and spirit, for its scent is calming. For many centuries herbs have been used for medicine, cooking, decoration, and cosmetics. The ancient Egyptians even used aromatic oils for religious purposes. In medieval times, a scented handkerchief or nosegay was carried through the unsanitary streets of Europe to help ward off noxious smells. These herbal oils also helped prevent the spread of germs and viruses, since they are antiseptic and antibacterial, and in French hospital wards. they were burned often to fumigate them. One of the oldest and most revered is lavender, whose symbol is devotion. It generally flowers at the end of June and beginning of July. Lavender can be used in many varied ways: Decorative – The whole plant is good as hedging. Flower, hang dried in bunches on their own or with other tiny flowers, add sprigs to wreaths and nosegays. The leaves, stems, buds, and flowers of lavender all contain essential oils and all are valuable for different purposes. Parts of the plant can be used fresh, dried or distilled with the essential oil extracted. Culinary – Use to flavor jams and to make lavender vinegar. Mix small amounts with savory herbs for fragrant stews. Household – Put dried flowers in sachets and bundles to scent drawers and to protect linen from moths. Rub fresh flowers on skin or pin on clothes, to discourage flies. Stem use dried as incense or scented firelighters. Cosmetic – Make tonic water for delicate and sensitive skins to speed cell replacement and for an antiseptic against acne, add to soap. Use oil in message for muscular aches, fluid retention and cellulite. Add to your scrub water for regular cleaning jobs from floors to counters to bathrooms. Medicinal – Infuse as a tea to soothe headaches, calm nerves, and ease flatulence, fainting, dizziness and halitosis. Use heated essential oil as an antiseptic, mild sedative and painkiller, particularly on insect bites, stings and small (cooled) burns. Add six drops to bathwater to calm irritable children, and place one drop on the temple for headache relief. Blend for use as an aromatherapeutic massage oil in for throat infections, skin sores, inflammation, rheumatic aches, anxiety, insomnia and depression. Caution: When using lavender use common sense … remember, a little bit goes a long way.

 

Twelve Cancer Causing Substances

CAREX Canada is a multidisciplinary team of researchers based at the University of British Columbia that is developing estimates of the number of Canadians exposed to known probable and possible carcinogens in workplace and community environments.

Crystalline silica

Associated cancers:

Lung cancer

What is it?

Crystalline silica is a component of soil, sand, and rocks (like granite and quartzite). Only quartz and cristobalite silica that can be inhaled, as particles are designated known carcinogens.

Where is it found?

•In the air during mining, cutting, and drilling.

• Household cleaners, paints, glass, brick, ceramics, silicon metals in electronics, plastics, paints, and abrasives in soaps.

Benzene

Associated cancers:

Lymphatic and blood-borne cancers (like leukemia)

What is it?

Benzene is a flammable, organic chemical compound that is a colorless liquid with a sweet aroma.

Where is it found?

• Naturally produced by volcanoes and forest fires.

• In manufacturing, used to produce some types of rubber, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, skin contact Occupations most at risk:

Wood dust

Associated cancers:

Cancers of the nasal cavities, Para nasal sinuses, and naso pharynx.

What is it?

Particles of wood created by cutting and sanding.

Where is it found?

• Anywhere wood is chipped, turned, drilled, or sanded. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation Occupations most at risk: Those in the construction industry, and to some extent, those in the logging industry.

Artificial UV radiation

Associated cancers:

Skin cancer

What is it?

Artificial UV radiation comes from man-made machines like sunbeds, medical and dental technology, and various lamps.

Where is it found?

• UV-emitting tanning devices.

• Devices that employ UV radiation in electric welding, medical and dental practices, curing lamps to dry paints and resins, and lamps used to sterilize hospital materials. Mode(s) of exposure: Skin exposure.

Asbestos

Associated cancers:

Lung, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers

What is it?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that form heat-resistant fibers.

Where is it found?

• Naturally in rock formations.

• In some auto parts like brakes, gaskets, and friction products.

• In some industrial textiles.

• In some safety clothing. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, a bit through skin contact Occupations most at risk: Asbestos miners, brake repair mechanics, building demolition or maintenance workers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, construction workers, electricians, plumbers, plaster and drywall installers, auto mechanics.

Chromium (hexavalent)

Associated cancers:

Lung cancer

What is it?

Chromium is a naturally occurring mineral that becomes carcinogenic when it is transformed into its hexavalent form through industrial processes.

Where is it found? •

In the manufacturing of stainless steel and other alloys.

•In the industrial wood preservative, CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate). • Used in small amounts in printer ink toners, textile dyes, and during water treatment. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, skin contact.

Nickel and its compounds

Associated cancers:

Lung, nasal, and paranasal sinus cancers

What is it?

Metallic nickel, a possible carcinogen, is a silver-like, hard metal or grey powder. Nickel compounds, known carcinogens, tend to be green to black, but yellow when heated.

Where is it found?

Used to make stainless steel, and also found in magnets, electrical contacts, batteries, spark plugs, and surgical/dental prostheses. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, skin/eye contact

Formaldehyde

Associated cancers:

Nasopharyngeal cancer, leukemia

What is it?

A colorless, combustible gas with a pungent odour.

Where is it found? •

Used in the manufacture of textiles, resins, wood products, and plastics

• As a preservative, formaldehyde is found in embalming fluid.

• As a preservative and disinfectant, it’s used in soaps, shampoos, deodorants, mouthwash, and cosmetics. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, skin contact.

Ionizing radiation and radioactive elements

Associated cancers:

Thyroid, breast, and blood-borne cancers

What is it?

Includes particles and rays emitted by radioactive materials, nuclear reactions, and radiation-producing machines.

Where is it found?

• X-rays, radiotherapy.

• Nuclear power plants.

• Naturally in uranium mines.

Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, via skin

Cadmium

Associated cancers:

Lung cancer

What is it?

Cadmium is a silvery-white or blue metal typically found in mineral deposits.

Where is it found?

• Zinc deposits.

• As a byproduct of mining for lead, zinc, and copper.

• Battery production.

• As pigments in plastics and coatings for electronics, steel and aluminum to prevent corrosion.

Mode(s) of exposure: I

Inhalation, ingestion

Chlorambucil / Melphalan / Cyclophosphamide

Associated cancers:

Leukemia (Yes, this is correct – these chemicals that are used in conventional medical care to “treat” malignancies can actually contribute to the formation of leukemia.)

What is it?

These chemicals are tumor growth inhibitors used as chemotherapy drugs.

Where is it found?

• In hospitals and pharmacies where malignancies are treated with conventional pharmaceutical agents. Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, skin contact

Arsenic

Associated cancers:

Lung and skin cancer

What is it?

A natural element that is a tasteless and odorless.

Where is it found?

• Trace amounts are found in all living matter.

• Used in manufacturing batteries, ammunition, hardening copper, and glassmaking.

• Used to make CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate), a wood preservative that contains hexavalent chromium (also a carcinogen). Mode(s) of exposure: Inhalation, ingestion, skin contact

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Sources: CAREX Canada and CBC Canada News