Deal with Panic Attack attacks and Anxiety in natural ways

A panic attack is when your body experiences a rush of intense psychological (mental) and physical symptoms. At least one person in 10 experiences occasional panic attacks, which are usually triggered by a stressful event or situation. Panic attack or anxiety is a very personal problem, and the symptoms of anxiety vary from one person to the next. Some people say that anxiety or panic attacks that bring with them bouts of excessive sweating. Many people suffer ongoing states of anxiety or nervous tension and therefore excessive sweating becomes an everyday reality for them. There are several specific symptoms that you may experience if suffering from anxiety disorder such as restlessness or feeling keyed up or being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, fearful thoughts, nervousness, irritability, muscle tension, chest pain, stomach aches, headaches, sleep problems (difficulty staying asleep or falling asleep, unsatisfying sleep). The mental or psychological symptoms of anxiety can be even more severe, including phobias of all types, social discomfort, poor memory or obsessive thoughts. However, there are a few physical symptoms that are much more common than others.
Physical symptoms of anxiety
The most common symptoms of anxiety have effect on the cardiovascular system – racing pulse, elevated blood pressure and shallow breathing.
An increased pulse rate is one of the most anxiety symptoms. Some sufferers may feel that they are having heart trouble, or even a heart attack.
Blushing, excessive sweating or yawning are also common symptoms of anxiety.
Dizziness is another feature in which one may feel simply light headed and find it difficult to concentrate while others can feel as they are spinning off the face of the earth, some can even find it difficult to stand up.
Stomach and digestive problems can be there as well. These can range from heartburn indigestion and constipation . When suffering a severe panic attack, some people can also feel nauseous.
Treatment for panic attacks or anxiety
A “real” anxiety cure must be sustainable. It should not make your life progressively worse over time, creating a type of addiction that keeps sufferers feeling like helpless victims. A “real” anxiety cure is all about empowerment–taking back control over your life.
People generally seek traditional prescribed medications which can be addictive and even physically harmful. Some natural things those can be taken in case of mild anxiety.
Natural medication

Fish oil- I think its the non medicated way that has helped me to recover from the anxiety and panic attacks I used to live with.
Note: if you’re considering taking larger doses of fish oil (such as those used in some research studies) it is especially important to clear this with your doctor first. Although it is a 100% natural substance, higher dosages are fish oil can have side effects, just like any other supplement.
For some people herbs and supplements can offer a safe way to treat panic attacks like Kava Kava, an herbal treatment taken from the Kava crop of the western pacific,passion fruit, passion flower, hops, chamomile, magnesium and B-complex. Valerian Root is a herbal supplement from the Valerian flower plant.
There are certain foods like sugar & caffeine which typically make most people jittery and edgy. You can eliminate or cut back on these.
Drink Water - Dizziness usually stems for one simple reason: You're dehydrated. drinking enough quantities of water daily will not only reduce dizziness, but it will allow your body to eliminate toxins easier


A few other options can also help you to alleviate panic attacks and to reclaim your natural calm and sense of well-being. You must understand that your subconscious thoughts are causing all panic attacks and you need to immediately stop yourself having them.

Support groups will be able to provide you with useful advice about how you can effectively manage your panic disorder, and they are also a good way of meeting other people who have similar experiences of the condition
The best way is regular physical activity which helps a patient to feel calm and relaxed. When we exercise our bodies tend to return to their natural state.
Controlled breathing techniques
Relaxation techniques : I know first-hand the almost miraculous benefits of using relaxation techniques to reduce your anxiety
Hypnosis
Listening to some good,relaxing and soothing music also proves to produce fruitful results.
Getting to know your habitual responses to the situations and re-evaluating them also prepares you to respond to a situation in which you generally feel anxiety.
Take plenty of ‘Vitamin L’ — love and laughter — by reaching out to others.
Affirmations are widely used in self development literature and they could work well as a panic attack treatment.
Many times people suffering from panic attacks find that meeting people with same experiences is the best treatment for panic attacks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a very popular and widely used method for anxiety and panic attacks.
Since panic attacks are a mental illness, they can be treated with the use of mental exercises, or in this case mental relaxation. There is also the possible use of aromatherapy as part of a relaxation technique.
One of the common methods of relaxation is massage.

These above stated straight-forward approaches virtually guaranteed to have a positive rather than detrimental impact on your general health and wellbeing and are the easiest way to deal with panic attacks. Things like lifestyle changes which will mean reviewing all the stress levels in your daily life and re-evaluating where your priorities life.

Source-http://citymasala.com/July2009/CityMasala.pdf

10 rules for Flat belly

Most of us are so much concerned about the belly fat hanging over our waistbands. The frustrating reality here is that the midsection is one of the trickiest and difficult areas to tone. Even people dedicated to regular exercise often can't iron out their abs. You need to have some kind of tummy flattening plan. The "inch you can pinch” around your belly may be harmful. A moderate amount of fat is essential for life. It keeps you warm in the winter. But too much of it can be bad, starting with the fact that fat functions as a visible sign of being overweight or obese. Worse, it makes us lose confidence in our body image.
Excess fat has been linked to a long list of adverse health conditions, including:
High blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Breast cancer
Dementia
 
One of the main reasons fat is so deadly is because of its role in inflammation, a natural immune response that has lately been tied to almost every chronic disease there is. Fat also contributes to insulin resistance, an early precursor to diabetes.
In order to have a flat belly you can try out following:
Maintain calories level of your body: there is a calorie level which can be maintained in the way that you neither gain weight nor lose weight. Observe your body. You can find it out by trial and error method. You can also find it by multiplying your body weight (lbs) by 11. This gives you a rough estimate of your daily calorie requirements. Once you find out your maintenance calories level, start reducing your food consumption very gradually which must not be more than 10% of the calories.
You may be tempted to drastically cut down on food consumption but that will not prove to be effective in getting a flat stomach but then the body thinks that it is starving and it initiates the body’s starvation response.

Make an Exercise Regime focusing Weight Resistance Training Lifting weight to shed 'weight' is a good way out. Weight training tells you how fast you will burn fat. Strength training helps both building more muscles and increase the calories burning efficiency. For each pound of trained muscle on your body, you can burn 35 to 50 calories of energy per day. Each pound of fat requires only 7 to 10 calories to maintain it. When you lift weights, you need more calories to feed those hungry muscle cells. That's why it is key for trimming fat around the belly.
Add MUFA to your diet- Studies have shown that a core group of healthy fats--monounsaturated fat known as MUFAs can prove to be effective in shedding fat. Those good-for-you fats help to protect you from chronic disease and, according to new research, can help you to get a slim waistline.There are five major categories of MUFAs- oil, avacado, nuts and seeds, chocolates and olives. Eating one serving of any of these foods at every meal will help to reduce accumulation of dangerous belly fat.
Tighten up your abs- sit on the chair and pull your stomach inside as if you are trying to pull up a tight pair of jeans. Hold it for 10 seconds. Do atleast 25 times a day and you can see the results.
Include fat burning food in your diet: This includes bananas, apples, beans, citrus fruits, broccoli, grains and grain products, cabbage, melon, pasta, tomato, zucchini, pineapple, root vegetables and peppers.
Commit to your target- If you start a diet and exercise regime, make it for good. Eating healthy foods and exercising only until you hit your target weight. Getting healthy is a lifestyle choice that has to last.
Picture yourself- Stick a picture of yourself on your refrigerator door at both your original and current weight or you can have a picture of one who inspires you. This will help you to remind of why you should stick with healthy foods.

Meal Replacements for Weight Control: For losing weight, we need to reduce the intake of the calories below the daily activity needs. When we reduce the number of the calories, we draw from our fat stores to obtain energy. By replacing meals with specialized complete meal formula, we lose fat and weight.
Substituting meal replacement for regular snacks can increase your meal frequency and controls the weight, since the low-calorie meal replacements limit calorie intake. Meal replacements have become popular way for helping many people successfully start losing weight. Meal replacements can be a good therapeutic approach to weight loss but only if, they are used in combination with lifestyle and diet education and professional support.

Core strength training: It is very essential to have core strength training to eliminate fat around the belly. Become aware of your abdomen. This mental awareness helps you stay focused on your goal- to eliminate the excess inner abdominal fat and achieve your goal of a waist that is less than 35 inches for a women and less than 40 inches for men. Core training also builds a stronger calorie burning furnace when you build more muscles. Having a strong core is key to all kinds of daily activities like sitting down, picking things up, carrying groceries and even walking. The abs and the back work together as a team. The stronger the abs- the stronger is the back.
Have positive attitude: Instead of focusing on the failure of your past habits, consider focusing on 30 minutes to a flat stomach. Set attainable goals. This means goals that you have control over. If you set a goal to lose five pounds in a week, you have no control and set yourself up for failure. Instead, set a goal to exercise 30 minutes a day five days a week. Along with that set a goal to stay within your calorie count. As you achieve these goals each week, your motivation will increase. Other tips include:
Measure instead of weigh -- Measure your waist and stomach before you start and again each six weeks. Weight can fluctuate as fat is replaced by water or muscle. A tape measure shows the inches melting off your midsection.
Dont shop when hungry: Never go to shopping when you are hungry or you will end up buying more fattening food. Best thing is to eat before going for food shopping and always prepare a grocery list. Only buy food which relates to your each week diet program.

Source-http://citymasala.com/October2009/FlatBelly.pdf

Turmeric Wonders, Part II, Plus Potato-Cauliflower Curry Recipe

Turmeric is uniquely an Indian spice. India produces nearly all the world’s turmeric, and consumes 80% of that crop. Traditional healers use turmeric to treat and cure disease. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. Its stalk has the healing properties. It has got a bright yellow color because of the presence polyphenols, curcuminoids, in it. In the past few years, researches have begun exploring myriad aspects of this compound:

•anti-tumor
•anti-oxidant
•anti-arthritic
•anti-amyloid
•anti-ischemic
•anti-inflammatory
Its anti-inflammatory properties come from curcuminoids’ ability to inhibit eicosanoid biosynthesis. Turmeric is effective in treating malaria and in the prevention of cervical cancer. Studies suggest that it can be useful in the treatment of the HIV virus.
If we are to look for the reason that India has such a low Alzheimers disease rates, usage of turmeric in Indian kitchen can be one of the major reasons. Curcumin has been found to be effective in the body to rid itself of aluminum, lead, mercury and other hazardous metals and cleanse the body. Our body is exposed to small amounts of these toxins in our daily life when we are exposed to various things. These chemicals may contribute to chronic health problems and age-related diseases.

Turmeric taken in your food gives far more benefits rather than taking supplements. If you go for a dosage like 600mg per day it may cause digestive problems because it is very spicy. Thus, having turmeric in curry is not only good for health but also gives a nice color and super aroma.

Indian recipes are famous worldwide for their mouth-watering varieties and aroma that comes out due to the spices like turmeric, bay leaves and coriander powder..

Cauliflower-Potato Dry Curry
2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, chopped fine

1 cup pureed tomatoes

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 Tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1 Tbsp oil

Salt - to taste

Cook the potatoes in 1 cup water in a covered pan till semi-done. This should take about 5-6 minutes You can insert a fork and it should barely be able to come out.
Add the cauliflower florets to the potatoes and cover again. Add a little more water if needed. Add the turmeric powder. Cook till cauliflower is just tender and not too mushy.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the chopped onions and saute till the ends turn brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for another 30 seconds.

Once your kitchen starts smelling a bit nicer, add the chili, cumin and coriander to the above. Fry for another minute till the everything turns light brown.
Reduce heat and pour in the tomatoes, mixing well with the existing contents of the pan. Add salt. Cook this for a good 5 minutes until the oil separates. Your stove area is going to be a bit messy because tomato paste splutters a bit.

Add the cooked potato-cauliflower pieces and mix well. Cook till the curry becomes dry and the gravy just about covers the potato-cauliflower mixture.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot with broiled bread or tortillas.

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/

Control Major Risks for Heart Disease

Men and women undergo heart surgery at different rates, with women undergoing fewer bypass surgeries than men. Some of the reasons for this are fairly obvious. First, compared to women, men are generally taller, weigh more and have a larger body surface area. This means that men generally have larger coronary arteries, which do not clog readily as the smaller arteries in women. And the smaller size of women’s coronary arteries presents a greater technical challenge for performing angioplasty or bypass surgery.

Secondly, because estrogen is thought to be protective against cardiovascular disease, women are rarely affected by cardiovascular disorders (CVD) before menopause. As such, most women are older and in worst overall physical condition when they do require treatment.
Finally women are also more likely to have the complications including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, obesity and cerebral or peripheral vascular diseases.

In addition to gender related risks, there are number of other risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular diseases in both men and women. Risk factors are divided into two categories: major and contributing. The major risk factors are those that have been proved to increase the risk of heart diseases. Contributing factors are those that doctors think can lead to an increased risk, but exact role played by them is not defined.

One of the major risk factors which is not preventable is family history. If your parents or grandparents are plagued by CVD, you are at a greater risk of CVD. However, other factors for heart disease are largely preventable through diet exercise and lifestyle. A few major risks factors are discussed below:

Smoking
Cigarette smoking has been medically determined to be a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. Smokers have 200 greater risk of developing coronary heart disease as compared to the non smokers. Smoking cause clogging of coronary arteries which heightens the risk of blood clots resulting in heart attack. Smoking also increases LDL which is bad cholesterol and decreases the HDL – the good cholesterol. So it can be strongly stated that – Smoking will kill your heart; do not smoke.

High cholesterol
Cholesterol is one of the groups that make up the fatty or lipid compounds in the bloodstream. Cholesterol is produced by the liver. The amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood is also affected by weight, diet and exercise. Most cholesterol is transported to the body’s cell in small particles called low density lipoproteins (LDL). High level of LDL are associated with increased risk for heart diseases, earning it the designation of “bad cholesterol”. They deposit on the walls of the arteries as plaque. Over the period of the time, plaque can cause obstruction or occlusion of an artery, triggering a heart attack.

Diabetes
In the U.S., six percent of people have diabetes. Factors like the bad information about food and consumption people get on TV and personal behavior such as over eating and too much fat in the diet are primarily at fault in the soaring numbers of adult diabetic patients. Persons with diabetes also tend to have other traits that make them more at risk for developing heart problems. These include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Hypertension
High blood pressure or hypertension is the leading cause of stroke and a major risk factor for heart attack and kidney failure. There are no typical symptoms for hypertension. Without regular and periodic blood pressure screening you may be unaware of its presence.

Obesity
Obesity is defined as a body mass index greater than 30. Obesity is directly related to heart diseases including hypertension, diabetes and vascular diseases. Weight reduction can help in lowering the risk of the heart diseases.

Family History
Some form of diseases are inherited from family members. If your parents had a history of heart diseases, you should see your doctor regularly to monitor your health condition.

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/

ALZHEIMERS' EYE TEST

Count every ' F ' in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI
FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...
(SEE BELOW)










HOW MANY ?
WRONG, THERE ARE 6 -- no joke.
READ IT AGAIN !
Really, go Back and Try to find the 6 F's before you scroll down.

The reasoning behind is further down.
The brain cannot process 'OF'.


Incredible or what? Go back and look again!!
Anyone who counts all 6 'F's' on the first go is a genius.


Three is normal, four is quite rare.


More Brain Stuff . . From Cambridge University .

O lny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht
I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rgh it pclae. The
rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed
ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can

10 Golden Rules to Manage Weight and Stay Young Forever

Weight management is on everyone's mind. Whenever you turn on television, you can hear numerous stories about the growing obesity rate or the latest Hollywood diet. You have seen the commercials and you may own one or more of the widely marketed ab roll thinners, butt tuckers, tummy suckers and electronic fat removers. You might have also tried an Assortment of firming cream and burning pills. People are on a relentless search for the answers to weight loss, physical fitness and look younger and beautiful. People go to any extent to look younger on the outside. They buy the best clothes and cosmetics that money can buy but looking young is not only what you wear and how you put up make-up. What you put inside your body by maintaining a high quality natural food diet, has the best effect on how we look and feel.

There are some basic facts which can be helpful in achieving your goals faster than you have ever thought. Here is the list of some of the things that can help you own an enviable toned body and to stay in top shape for years to come.

1.Eat “Fit Food”- Your choice for a high quality natural diet plays a significant role in the way to look and feel. A diet containing balanced amount of of complex carbohydrates, protein and fats is the key. Complex carbohydrates intake through brown rice, whole wheat pasta, salads, potatoes, unprocessed cereals etc. have proved to be very effective in losing weight because of the reason that complex carbohydrates not only control hunger but also provide energy as our body burns them more efficiently as compared to unprocessed food.
Similarly, fibre contained in fruits, vegetables and other food sources like whole grains help in getting rid of unwanted and toxic substances present in your intestine and colon that accelerates weight loss and keeps skin glowing. High quality and easily digested amounts of protein can be derived through intake of chicken, turkey, egg whites, fish, low-fat dairy and certain lean cuts of red meat. Protein present in these food sources are easy to digest and help in increasing the muscle tissue rather than fat tissues. In addition to carbohydrates and proteins, vitamins and minerals are important for the proper functioning of the body and various organs.
2.Take three meals per day – Our body needs to have 3 balanced meals per day which includes a heavy breakfast in the morning containing fruits, cereals, grain bread, eggs, along with a healthy drink. Researches have shown the fact that people who skip breakfast, find it harder to lose weight because if you have a heavy breakfast your appetite will be satisfied longer and you will eat only when your calories are best burnt. Your body needs energy to get you through your day and that energy is supplied only through a proper breakfast, so if you are not a “breakfast person” start by eating a piece of fruit on your way to work.
3.Drink plenty of water- Water plays a key role in the prevention of diseases, reduction of weight, toxins and chances of cancer; absorption and digestion of food, regulation of body temperature, removal of waste and toxins from the body and maintaining glow of the skin. Water helps the body to metabolize stored fat and acts as appetite suppressant, and thus, leads to weight loss. Whenever you feel hungry, drink a pint of water, it will curb your appetite.
4.Eliminate soft drinks, fruit juices and processed foods - Avoid carbonated beverages and fruit juices even if they are naturally sweetened. Processed food, refined food and pre-packaged food are loaded with sugars and preservatives. You can replace soft drinks and juices with natural water, herbal tea and caffeine free coffee.
5.Fast once in a week- I strongly recommend fasting for everyone. It is something which everyone needs to do and please mind that this has nothing to do with your religious beliefs. If you abstain from the meal, you are giving your body a chance to rest. In USA, we incessantly eat endless calories with every meal. The body never gets a chance to get rest, repair and restore itself. Our digestive system works round the clock even when we are sleeping. When we eat, it takes that meal three to four hours to travel through the stomach, another five hours for the food to be processed in the small intestine and an additional 12 to 36 hours for the food to go through the large intestine. If you take decision to fast one day in a week, you are giving your body a chance to rid itself abnormal cells, toxins, heavy metals and chemicals that you have ingested. This means fasting cleans your body system out.
6.Don't eat 2 hours before you go for sleep: People generally make a mistake by not eating much for whole day and then having a heavy dinner before they go to bed. It becomes difficult for the body to burn the extra calories while you are sleeping because your energy levels plummet while sleeping. Therefore, try to eat earlier in the day and keep dinner as simple as possible.
7.Exercise to stay fit and young- We all have excuses and explanation for not doing exercise like lack of time, odd working hours, home, kids etc. Good eating and drinking habits and exercise keeps you fit for whole life. Exercise and workout will not only keep you healthy, increase longevity but will also give you mental peace because “A healthy body has healthy mind”. Any anaerobic exercise like stationary cycling, walking, jogging, swimming, yoga etc. four times a day in the morning yields good results. If possible, take a brisk walk of 10 to 15 minute at lunch or in the evening to boost your metabolism even more. Don't forget to tone your muscles with weight training three days per week.
8.Do mediation and deep breathing- Meditation helps in developing a stronger body and mind connection. This connection is vital for feeling younger and healthier. Breathing is one of the important and old weapon to fight toxicity in the body. Breathing is an effective way to remove toxins, cleanse and purify body. When we exhale, we take out carbon dioxide and the toxins which are deadly poisonous for the body. The body has great tendency and capacity for the oxygen. If our body lacks oxygen , we feel tired and have headaches. A few deep breath not only relives us from the anxiety, ease digestion but also help in waking up and going to sleep.
9.Stop smoking and drinking alcohol- Smoking and alcohol consumption have negative effects on your body. Alcohol depresses your metabolism and stimulates your appetite and thus your eating habits change.
10.Live with a positive attitude- The way to a healthy life begins with a healthy mind. How we think determines everything in our life. We should choose the habits which make us to feel younger and live longer with a healthy body and mind.

Source-http://citymasala.com/May2009/HealthTips.pdf/

Bottled Water: Bad for You, Bad for the Earth

If you are using bottled water, you are spending up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water, thinking it safe and pure, even though this bottled water can be even worse. In addition to the health risks bottled water may pose, it harmsl the environment. Bottled water, thought to be an healthy alternative, now is criticized as an environmental menace, and for health risks bottled water may pose from the presence of harmful chemicals.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found chemical contaminants present in every bottled water brand they have analyzed. The bottled water industry is not required to disclose the results of any contaminant testing that it conducts on bottled water products. On the other hand, tap water consumers are provided with water quality test results carried out every year. The attractive and expensive advertisement campaigns by the bottled water industry tempts us to believe that we are buying water that has been purified to a level beyond the municipal tap. Thus, we end up piling up water bottles, thinking the bottled water cleaner than the water that comes out of the garden hose. The truth is that tap water has to go through more stringent quality standards than bottled water. Studies have proven that some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise.
Environmental Costs of Bottled Water
The environment cost that we are paying for these bottles is even higher. The bottled water industry causes a severe strain on the environment, as rightly said by Eric Olsen of Natural Resources Defense Council ”It causes 60 million plastic bottles A DAY to be manufactured, transported and then disposed of in U.S. landfills. It’s killing our planet, and for no good reason…” An estimated 1.5 million gallons of oil is used to make plastic water bottles, and much more is consumed transporting these bottles. This oil is enough to run more than 100,000 cars for a whole year. Burning of this oil releases a lot of air pollutants, which are responsible greenhouse effect and global warming.

Bottled Water Wastes Water

Bottling plants extract a lot of water in the areas near bottling plants, which in turn has led to water shortages in those areas. This is affecting people living nearby. Much water gets wasted in the process of purification of the water itself. It is said that two gallons of water is wasted in the purification process for every gallon. This is in addition to the millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making process.

Bottled Water Creates Solid Waste

Only 10% of water bottles used in a day are recycled. This leaves a lot of wastes in the landfills, and these plastic bottles takes thousands of years to decompose. Waste management has become a large problem in the world, with the number and size of landfills growing. Some bottles are washed and reused to lessen their negative impact on the environment, which again questions the purity of the water contained in the bottles. Reusing plastic bottles lowers the quality of the water, since more and more phthalates leaches from a bottle as it gets older.

The solution
•Buy a filter pitcher. Refill it whenever you need. You can have two or three pitchers, so that you never run out of filtered water at home. These pitchers are available in different sizes and can be kept in car while you are travelling.
•Get an inexpensive faucet filter to remove traces of chemicals and bacteria.
•Use a reusable bottle and refill it along the way. Travel bottles with built-in filters are also available in stores.
•Use activated carbon water filters, like Brita pitchers or faucet attachments. They are affordable option for filtering tap water.
•If you can afford you can have a reverse osmosis filter, which will eliminate all impurities.
The above suggested ways are good both for your health and wallet, above all for the planet.

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/

Where Germs Hide in Your House

We generally think our household is safe from germs and infection, but homes themselves are with germs that have the potential to cause infection. Studies over many years have proved that a wide range of infections, from banal to fatal, are spread in the household. But, it is not necessary that the responsible germs originate in home itself. There may be other sources from which they can originate.

Here is a brief room by room microscopic home tour which would allow you to recognize the potential sources of germs in the household.
Bathroom

We all know that bathroom is a wetland area which provides good fertile place for various bacteria, viruses and fungi to reproduce and grow. Germs stick to the toilet, toilet seats, the rim under the recess of the toilet bowl, just for starters. These places harbor salmonella. A virus known as Rotavirus, which is known to cause gastroenteritis, especially in young children, is excreted from an infected child. This virus can survive for days to weeks on moist surfaces and thus, spreading infection to other children. In addition to the toilet bowl, other rotavirus havens are faucets, toys, diaper- changing and disposal areas, sinks and even the kitchen. The virus responsible for causing gastroenteritis and Hepatitis A is known to spread from the feces of an infected family member to another family member. The bathroom is the second-likeliest place to find germs because of surfaces touched by the kids or the adults who don’t wash hands and thus, spread infection.


The act of flushing the toilet represents the violent stirring of the germs in the bowl water, as well as those adhering to the sides of the bowl. Studies have shown that the first flush after a bowel movement reduces germ load in the water and on the sides of the bowl by 200 to 300 fold. But alone with this flush releases 1,000 – 3,000 bacteria and virus per cubic meter in the air. These germs float in the air and then settle on nearby surfaces. But, remember that gastroenteritis germs and other fecal flora are not acquired by breathing them but only by ingesting them and that usually happens from contaminated hands. Thus, we must make sure to wash hands thoroughly after every visit to toilet and bathroom so as to minimize the chances of infection.

Kitchen

It has been estimated that, of the more than 75 million cases of infection related food poisoning that occur in USA each year, one-fifth occur in the home, probably the kitchen. In particular, 90% of the gastroenteritis cases caused by salmonella infections occur at home. All of us know that the germs grow and reproduce in moisture . The highest counts of bacteria in the kitchen are found in sinks, sink drains, dish rags, mops and sponges. When dish rags are also used to wipe down countertops, the germs from the sink spread to new surfaces. Salmonella species have been found in about 15% of sponges and dish rags in homes. Raw and undercooked meat, poultry, and fish harboor dangerous germs like E.coli, salmonella, campylobacter and pseudomonas which get on the hands of the cook. When we touch or make use of cutting boards, faucets and the countertops, the germs get a new hiding place.

It has been observed that there are many lapses while cooking in kitchen which results in greater chances of germ infection. For example, the towel used to wipe up raw meat is used to dry off washed hands, during food preparation hands go directly from food to face and then back to food. The towel falls on the floor, is picked up and same is used to cover the food.

Bedroom

Respiratory virus are spread by direct contact with the infected person’s secretions and by airborne infected droplets. Household studies have found that upper and lower respiratory infections were spread to 71% of adults from infected child. Out of those infected adults, 40% got infected merely by touching surfaces in the baby’s room. Similarly, an experiment done on Rhinovirus, the cause of the common cold, in Virginia revealed that mothers caught infection from infected children because of lack of proper hygiene.

Laundry room

Laundry room, being moisture-laden, also is a home for germs. Practices like using lower temperature cycles, permanent press clothes and smaller water loads appear to facilitate germs survival on clothing. Using hot water with bleach and complete drying cycles reduces viral and bacterial contamination of clothes by 98 to 100%.

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/