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This Animal Spreads a Rare Disease, Avoid It at All Costs!

by July 3, 2017

An ancient disease has suddenly reappeared in the modern day world. A new case of this animal spread disease was diagnosed in Florida, and you’re going to want to avoid it at all costs!

The disease is called leprosy, and it is some serious business. Also referred to as Hansen’s Disease, leprosy is a slow growing infection caused by bacteria. It affects the nerves, eyes, skin, and the lining of the nostrils. While it can be cured with early diagnosis, it is usually deadly.

If left untreated, the nerve damage can result in paralysis of hands and feet. In very advanced cases, the person may have multiple injuries due to lack of sensation, and eventually, the body may reabsorb the affected digits over time, resulting in the apparent loss of toes and fingers. Corneal ulcers and blindness can also occur if facial nerves are affected. The most common indicator of the disease is when your skin starts to become lighter, or darker with dry and flaky texture.

Last year, there were 27 confirmed cases of leprosy in the Sunshine State – and five more cases were reported during the first five weeks of 2016. According to Joshi, the increase in cases is likely due to increased contact with armadillos. The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is one of the few creatures that can carry the bacterium that causes leprosy.

The iPhone Setting That Can Literally Save Your Life!

by July 3, 2017

People are so engulfed in their phones these days we often perceive it to be a bad thing. While they do disconnect us from each other, set unrealistic standards, and involve everyone in everyone else’s business, there is actually one great thing to come from a smartphone.

Smartphones are great in the event of a catastrophe. They give us instant news, and you can reach your loved ones by a simple tap of a button in seconds. It also gives us the ability to receive help right away when we need it – and it’s not just 911 or 999 either.

There is a new feature available for all iphone users and it is incredibly useful in the case of an emergency. It is called Medical ID and it’s free too! It allows people to share vital information with medical staff so that they can treat you accordingly.

Julia Thompson is a nurse that has shed light upon the importance of this amazing iphone feature. She posted to facebook telling everyone how much they really need to set this setting up because it can literally make a life or death difference.

She says, “Working in a public hospital and seeing patients in ER all the time, I see many patients come in and we have had no way of knowing who they are, or how to contact their next of kin, or their medical history! And their phones are locked!

But many people don’t realize that you can set up something called a ‘Medical ID’ on your iPhone if you have the health app (free with phone). I didn’t even realize this when I got my own iPhone!

This information can be accessed even while the phone is locked by clicking on the emergency options and can display things like name, date of birth, emergency contacts, medical conditions and even blood type and donor status. You can even add notes!

I believe Android [users] have an app called ICE (‘in case of emergency’) that works similarly….”

If you want to set up this extremely beneficial setting on your iPhone, all you have to do is follow the steps below.

Here’s how you can create your very own Medical ID on an iPhone:

1. Turn on your iPhone by pressing the “Power” or “Home” button

2. Find the “Health” app on your iPhone home screen

3. Once the app opens, tap on “Medical ID” option in the bottom right-hand corner


4. Select the “Edit” option

5. Fill out relevant medical information
Important: Turn on “Show When Locked” slider

6. Tap “Done” when the information is complete

The feature makes it to where all of your important information is displayed for first responders and medical staff to see before they treat you. Once you have it set up, there is an emergency option on the phone’s lock screen. Tap that, and it will show all of your medical information for first responders to see.

This is a life or death hack, and everyone should have it enabled. If you have allergies or any other kind of disorder it is the perfect way to let the medics know when you are unconscious – because you never know when you might be.

How To Kill Sinus Infection Within Minutes With Apple Cider Vinegar!

by July 3, 2017

Sinus infections are extremely annoying because it feels like no matter what you do, you can’t catch a breath of fresh air. They seem like they never go away, but you can kiss them goodbye in minutes if you use apple cider vinegar.

Sinus infections are one of the most common problems to experience, but that doesn’t make them any less annoying. Sinus infections are also referred to as sinusitis. Sinusitis can be caused by a multitude of different things like the common cold, allergic Rhinitis (swelling of the nose), nasal polyps, or even a deviated septum. Don’t let the anatomical terms get you confused; sinusitis is very common and very easy to cure if you do it the right way.

Doctors will typically prescribe you medications such as Mucinex to get rid of it. However it might be an aid in kicking sinusitis, they often cause more problems than you started out with. Mucinex is a brand that sells expectorant drugs known as guaifenesin. While it helps reduce chest congestion, nasal congestion, and colds and allergies, it also causes lots of side effects.

Some common side effects may include:

  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Rash
  • Drowsiness

There’s only one true way to get rid of a sinus infection without experiencing side effects – and that’s the natural way. Natural remedies provide almost instantaneous results without causing any worse side effects. They might actually promote health in another part of your body while curing your sinusitis. The best natural ingredient to use against a sinus infection is apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar can be used for literally hundreds of different things. It is one of the most efficient home remedies for sinus infections because it is a key anti inflammatory. You should always look for natural and organic apple cider vinegar for the remedy too, because processed and false ingredients might make things worse. Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ cup water

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil, and pour in the vinegar. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the lemon juice. Stir well, and add pour it in. drink the remedy every day and your sinus infection will disappear!

How To Repel Bugs Naturally!

by July 1, 2017

Barbecues and outdoor fun are one of the best ways to get the family together. But, the pesky bugs might just stand in the way of that. Now, you can repel them naturally without the use of chemicals.

We have all been there before. The sun is out, the pool is just the right temperature, or maybe you just want to go out to sunbathe! We finally pour our glass of iced tea only to go out there to meet a swarm of mosquitoes; mosquitoes are extremely annoying, and no matter how many times you slap your leg you’ll never actually get them. They just keep going back for more, and bug spray might do more harm than good.

Mosquito and Bug repellent is a great idea, but they’re doing it all wrong. One of the most popular insect repellents is DEET-based repellants. DEET (N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) has been used for over 50 years. It is a common active ingredient in many mosquito repellants. However, there has been some concern over the potential dangers of the ingredient. While the EPA has placed DEET in category three, slightly toxic, they do not believe occasional use presents any harm to the human body, but others disagree. If you would like to avoid the risk in total, you can make your own natural insect repellant out of natural ingredients.

There are many natural ingredients that are fantastic for repelling the bugs and mosquitoes. They are easy to find, inexpensive, and safe to spray on your kids too! It takes hardly any time to make and it will change your summer nights. You can enjoy outside fun without the bites and sticky feeling of bug spray.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup witch hazel
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 40 drops essential oils (Eucalyptus, lemongrass, citronella, tea tree, rosemary, or a combination all work great. Mix and match to create a scent you love!)
  • 8-ounce spray bottle

Directions:

  • Mix witch hazel, apple cider vinegar and essential oils in an 8-ounce spray bottle.
  • Spray over all portions of the body, but avoid getting repellent in eyes and mouth.

 While the remedy is extremely effective and has guaranteed results if you spend lots of time outside a bug bite or a bee sting is pretty inevitable. But there are easy ways to treat bug bites too. If you fall victim to a bee sting, place a cold (and used) tea bag over the bite or affected area. It has antiseptic and antioxidant properties that heal it fast!

Fecal Bacteria Found in Starbucks Iced Drinks

by July 1, 2017

As hard as it is for some people to accept it, the title is very true. In a BBC Watchdog investigation earlier this week, three out of ten samples of Starbucks iced drinks contained fecal bacteria.

Sure, this is not the news we wanted but it is something we need to know. BCC investigators obtained samples of iced water from ten Starbucks coffee shops in the United Kingdom and as mentioned above three of those samples tested positive for fecal coliform bacteria. While it may not necessarily cause disease we definitely don’t want to be ingesting it. Some of the bacteria they found are actually considered to be ‘opportunistic pathogens’ which do not generally cause disease in healthy people. However, they can have a negative effect on those who have reduced immune systems.

Margarita Gomez Escalada a microbiologist at Leeds Beckett University who helped with conducting the study told the Guardian that the bacteria could have been introduced by unclean hands or improperly cleaned ice machines. It won’t make us bedridden or ill right off the bat but it does increase our risks of getting sick. That being said skipping your daily iced coffee or drink of choice may not be something you have to do. This study caused Starbucks to begin an internal investigation themselves and according to a representative, there will be a new ice-handling process launched if need be after the investigation is over with.

One could also argue that the study carried out by BBC was too small and makes it hard to generalize all Starbucks locations. Finding fecal coliform bacteria does not mean there is poop in your drink, just bacteria that can come from poop. So, for now, I wouldn’t think too much of it but I would be sure to pay attention to where my food and drinks are coming from. Some restaurants are just cleaner than others, this is broken down to individual stores and not whole chains. Be aware.

 

Top Bottled Water Risks: Are You Drinking This Toxic Rip-Off?

by July 1, 2017

Sure, we have heard a few different things about why bottled water is bad but did you know there was a lot more to it than just the plastic it is being kept in? Sure BPA is toxic and so are various other things they put in the plastic, but the issues with bottled water run much deeper than the bottle itself.

Bottled water is full of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Lots of different anti-estrogens and anti-androgens are present in most bottled water. When compared to glass estrogenicity in plastic bottled water is three times higher. We are exposing ourselves to these disruptors and most of us are not even aware of it.

Laboratory testing that was done by the Environmental Working Group actually found that most popular bottled water brands contain a mixture of 38 different pollutants among those were cancer-causing chlorination byproducts. Drinking bottled water increases our risk of cancer, no I am not joking, it really does! One more recent study actually found that 11 out of 18 bottled water samples induced estrogenic effects in a human cancer cell line, for more information on that please click here.

Some people choose to drink bottled water over tap water, this being because they think it is cleaner. Sadly it is not. There really is no difference between the two in most places. Tap water actually could be argued as safer because it is tested daily, while bottled water is only tested weekly, and yes, there is still fluoride in bottled water.

Testing done on bottled water has found a lot of odd things in it like mold, styrene, kerosene, and algae. While BPA is not used as often as it has been in the past it is still an issue as mentioned above. PET is also an issue (polyethylene terephthalate) as it may be leaching antimony trioxide (a flame retardant) into our water. The longer the water sits in these PET bottles the more chemicals are released into it. Warm temperatures, of course, speed this up drastically.

Workers who were exposed to antimony trioxide have reported things like skin irritation, miscarriage, and abnormal menstrual cycles. Antimony is something considered to be a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. A single bottle of water can contain around 25,000 chemicals which are definitely a cause for alarm. It does not take a high level of chemicals to interfere with hormones, as little as one-tenth of an ounce is able to inhibit estrogenic activity by about sixty percent and androgenic activity by ninety percent. Bottled water is a waste of money!

Bottled water is also labeled in ways that misrepresent the product for example just because the bottle says “Glacier water” does not mean it came from a glacier. Here in the United States, we use almost three million plastic water bottles every hour of every day. Usually, only about thirty percent end up being recycled. A large number of them end up in the ocean. For more information on that please take the time to watch the video below. By the year 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.

Producing these bottled waters are also having a toll on the environment as lots of energy is needed to get them made and where they need to be. For more on that please click here. Please take the time to educate others on the health risks associated with drinking bottled water. Bottled water is nothing more than a dangerous modern day convenience and it is not doing most of us any good. The only people who need to be drinking bottled water are those dealing with water emergencies. The average American should not be drinking bottled water.

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