How to kill bacteria without harsh chemicals

We are being told to wash hands regularly with soap and water and to keep hard surfaces (door handles, telephones, remotes, etc) clean.

If soap and water are not readily available, then use Green People’s lathering Organic Foaming Hand Sanitizer (made with over 95% certified organic ingredients)

This organic breakthrough product is designed to kill germs using natural anti-microbial activity from combining the extracts of Australian Tea Tree and New Zealand Manuka.
These ingredients create a natural alternative to conventional alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Studies have shown that at the level used in this product this ingredient combination kills bacteria E. coli, S. aureus, S. faecalis and S. pyogenes instantly, and kills S. typnimurium, and P. aeruginosa within 10 minutes of contact.

Keep one in your car, gymbag or handbag, and one by your sink so you can stay “bacteria free” all day long. Why not also give your child one when they go back to school?

Chunky Nut & Vegetable Roast

I am a long term vegetarian and love nut roasts but very rarely make them. The Vegetarian Society give this recipe for an easy chunky nut and vegetable roast:

Ingredients

1 carrot, scraped
1 onion, peeled
1 stick celery
200g mixed nuts (e.g. almonds, peanuts, brazil nuts)
2tsp Marmite
2 free range eggs
1 or 2 tsp mixed herbs
salt & pepper
Dried breadcrumbs (for coating tin)

Method

1. Set oven at 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until vegetables and nuts are chopped into chunky pieces.
Put into a bowl and mix with remaining ingredients.

2. Line a 450g/1lb loaf tin with a strip of non-stick paper, grease well and sprinkle with dry breadcrumbs.
Spoon mixture into tin and level the top.

3. Bake uncovered for 45 mins until set.

Serves 4.

Haven't made this yet but looks so easy I'm going to give it a go. The Vegetarian Society list it as a recipe for new vegetarians but us oldies can learn a thing or two too.

31 Ways to Jump Start the Local Economy

There's some great ideas in an article with this title on the web site Yes!

Here's just two of them:

Tip 3
Take your money out of predator banks and put it into a credit union, local bank, or an institution like Shorebank Pacific that supports sustainable businesses.

Tip 18
Do home work parties. Each month, go to a different household to do major home greening, a garden upgrade, or some deferred maintenance.

Read the rest of these thought-provoking tips here >>

Swallowing Big Tablets

We sell nutritional supplements in our online health store and from time to time I get questions about how big the tablets are. This sort of query comes from someone who has difficulty taking tablets.

Of course, it is possible to cut most tablets in half, but that’s a bit laborious and you can end up with bits of tablet flying all over your kitchen.

A different approach is looking at it from a psychological angle. Most people who say they cannot swallow big tablets can swallow a large piece of pizza crust (for example), so I tell them to think about that when they are attempting to swallow a tablet – to tell themselves it is no different from swallowing a large piece of food. Some people find this trick really helps.

Help With Remembering To Take Your Meds

Many older people find it difficult to remember if they've taken their tablets. Here's a great idea from researchers to help seniors do just that:

Doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they've already taken their daily medications, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Read more about this>>

Children short of vitamin D

Seven out of ten U.S. children have low levels of vitamin D, raising their risk of bone and heart disease, according to a study of over 6,000 children by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The striking findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency could place millions of children at risk for high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

Read more about this study.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which recently updated its vitamin D guidelines, now recommends that infants, children, and teens should take 400 IU per day in supplement form.

Improve Your Digestive Health

Heather Caruso has a new book out - Your Drug Free Guide To Digestive Health

Heather has written articles for my web site www.healthandgoodness.com such as;

What Is detoxification?

and

Colon Cleansing

Check out Heather's book for lots more information on digestive health.

The Benefits Of Water

One of my favourite health supplements is water!

It's free and does great things for us - models swear by drinking lots of water to ensure a clear, radiant skin. Constipation sufferers often find increasing wtare intake makes stools easier to pass.

Here's an easy-to-read summary of the benefits of water.

How green is your medicine?

I like this quote from Genie Rowson:

Green medicine stimulates the body's own healing mechanisms to repair and rebuild itself, and help reverse illness and encourage healing. This approach differs considerably from the more conventional medicine we know so well, which suppresses our symptoms (which are actually the body's healing mechanisms). But does green medicine really work? The answer is yes. Absolutely! Greener systems of medicine such as acupuncture, Chinese medicine and homeopathy are gaining new converts every day, because they really do work! Millions of people worldwide have been healed through these gentler, safer, non-toxic alternatives. There is a wordwide movement towards greener options in every aspect of life.

If you're into homeopathy, check out Genie's web site - There's A Remedy For That. She has a great ailments page with suggestions for homeopathic remedies for a whiole host of complaints.

Herbs for health

We are currently trying to grow Goji berries in our garden. I like an Alara muesli that has dry goji berries in it, but it would be fantastic to be able to pick fresh ones and add them to my breakfast muesli.

I've just come across an article which lists 50 herbs and gives some indication about how to grow them. This is what it says about Goji berries:

These all function berries can help the liver, improve fertility, and help you live longer. They grow best in temperate regions.

Not sure about improving fertility (I'm 61), but living longer and helping my liver - definitely.

help for baby colic

having a baby with colic is distressing both for the mum and for the baby.

A recent study suggests that bacteria in the gut cause inflammation and the distress associated with colic.

Probiotics are known to increase the number of good bacteria and reduce the number of bad bacteria in the gut, but you need to be careful about giving young children probiotics willy-nilly.

Fortunately among all the other great probiotic formulae we sell there's a probiotic formula specifically for children (over 6 months of age). It comes in sachets and so can be added to food.

It's also great for pregnant mums, helping them to give the right strains of bacteria to their baby as it comes down the birth canal.

Avoid Dying Before Your Time

Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), with collaborators from the University of Toronto and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The researchers found that smoking is responsible for 467,000 premature deaths each year, high blood pressure for 395,000, and being overweight for 216,000. The effects of smoking work out to be about one in five deaths in American adults, while high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths.

It is the most comprehensive study yet to look at how diet, lifestyle and metabolic risk factors for chronic disease contribute to mortality in the U.S. The study appears in the April 28, 2009 edition of the open-access journal PLoS Medicine.

"The large magnitude of the numbers for many of these risks made us pause," said Goodarz Danaei, a doctoral student at HSPH and the lead author of the study. "To have hundreds of thousands of premature deaths caused by these modifiable risk factors is shocking and should motivate a serious look at whether our public health system has sufficient capacity to implement interventions and whether it is currently focusing on the right set of interventions." Majid Ezzati, associate professor of international health at HSPH, is the study's senior author.

The researchers also found large effects from a series of other preventable dietary and lifestyle risk factors. Below are the numbers of deaths in the U.S. due annually to each of the individual risk factors examined:

Smoking: 467,000
High blood pressure: 395,000
Overweight-obesity: 216,000
Inadequate physical activity and inactivity: 191,000
High blood sugar: 190,000
High LDL cholesterol: 113,000
High dietary salt: 102,000
Low dietary omega-3 fatty acids (seafood): 84,000
High dietary trans fatty acids: 82,000
Alcohol use: 64,000 (alcohol use averted a balance of 26,000 deaths from heart disease, stroke and diabetes, because moderate drinking reduces risk of these diseases. But these deaths were outweighed by 90,000 alcohol-related deaths from traffic and other injuries, violence, cancers and a range of other diseases).
Low intake of fruits and vegetables: 58,000
Low dietary poly-unsaturated fatty acids: 15,000

All of the deaths calculated in the study were considered premature or preventable in that the victims would not have died when they did if they had not been subject to the behaviors or activities linked to their deaths.

Swine Flu Prevention And Treatment

Here's some great advice from Grace DaSilva-Hill, a homeopathic practitioner:

The best way to keep well is to not connect with the type of fear and alarm that we sometimes hear in the news; eat well with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, drink a lot of good quality water, and supplement with good quality Vitamin C if you feel you need it; many people are taking the herb Astragalus which is what I normally recommend in the winter months to boost the immune system.

Several of my patients (adults and children) have now had swine flu, and I am pleased to say that they have all recovered with the use of homeopathic remedies.

Another way to keep well is to take your constitutional homeopathic remedy; I advise that people take this at least once a year to strengthen the immune system; this way you can cope with anything that may come your way.

There is also a combination of 3 hom. remedies that I have been recommending to people to take as prophylaxis (twice weekly) to avoid getting the flu.

Visit Grace's web site.

Making Changes

I love this article by Marshall Goldsmith in which he talks about why some people just don't get things done and what they need to do about it.

He says:

At the end of my sessions, I ask leaders (who have received 360-degree feedback) to follow up with their co-workers and ask for ongoing ideas about how they can continue to become more effective. A year later, about 70% do some version of this recommended follow-up (as reported by their co-workers, not by them); 30% do absolutely nothing.

He then goes on to explain why he thinks those people do nothing and what they can do to make the ecessary shift. Do read the article.

Travelling Abroad? Don't Get An Upset Tummy

The dreaded tummy upset spoils many holidays, but it can be largely avoided by taking probiotics (preferably starting before you go).

The probiotics help to maintain a coating of friendly bacteria in the intestines to
support natural immunity and digestive health. This means that unfriendly bugs find it difficult to get attached to the intestinal wall and so are more likely to be flushed away.

There are lots of probiotic drinks and supplements out there, but not all of them will work for this very specialised situation.

You need:

• Probiotic strains that can survive hot conditions and do not need to be refrigerated.
• Probiotic strains that are particularly good at coating the wall of the intestine.

Our Travel Probiotic Formula contain 4 important probiotic strains that can do just that:

• Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175 colonises primarily in the large intestine (or colon). In this region it promotes the production of antibodies, supports the body against toxins and inhibits the development of undesirable bacteria by competitively excluding their attachment to the intestinal wall lining. In addition, a healthy balance of bifidobacteria supports the intestines in assisting transit and optimising a healthy frequency and regularity of bowel movements.

• Saccharomyces boulardii – a unique probiotic yeast which is sold widely in the US, Scandinavia, Germany & France. S. boulardii has undergone extensive clinical research proving its ability to flush out pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella (responsible for 70% of Traveller’s Diarrhoea) and to have therapeutic benefits against diarrhoea.

• Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11 – a natural component of the friendly bacteria in the intestines; the species is one of the most studied in the probiotic world. L. rhamnosus Rosell-11 has been proven to resist bile and gastric acidity over pH 3 – therefore if taken at mealtimes (when pH is around 4), it will pass through the stomach without being damaged. L. rhamnosus Rosell-11 is able to bind strongly to the intestinal cells and helps maintain a strong immune system.

• Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52 – a natural resident of the intestinal microflora; this strain of friendly bacteria has been well studied.

Directions
As a food supplement For travelling abroad can be given to adults and children (over 3 years) with the following recommendations: take one capsule daily with food (ideally with breakfast), preferably starting 3-5 days before departure, continuing during travel abroad and for a few days upon return or as professionally directed.

For young children (under 8 years) or any patient unable to swallow capsules, the content of the capsules may be mixed with a cold meal or beverage.

Safety
It is not recommended to give probiotics to severely immunosuppressed patients, post cardiac surgery patients, patients with pancreatitis, patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or patients with blood in the stool unless under a doctor’s care.

Buy travel probiotics here.

Information And Remedies For Swine Flu

Lots of people are really scared about swine flu, so I've posted three article son our web site to help you see what you need to do:

Swine Flu And High Temperatures

Essential Oils And Herbs To Protect Against Swine Flu And Treat The Symptoms

Choosing A Thermometer

Health And Goodness has its own Facebook page

I've just set up a page for healthandgoodness.com on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, do take a look and become a fan if you like what you see.

Do vitamin B12 pills help weight loss?

Someone sent me an email asking this question.

Here's my reply:

I do not know of any evidence that supports this idea, except possibly that if you are B12 deficient you are likely to be tired and not want to exercise. Exercise plus sensible eating plus good nutrition leads to weight loss success for many people.

That said our customers report that our weight loss supplement which addresses possible nutritional deficiencies that can slow metabolism and produce cravings successfully helps people lose weight.

But it's no good thinking that you can permanently lose weight and look great with any sort of weight loss pill on its own. That idea is part of the 'you can have whatever you want NOW without saving, without hard work without self-discipline, without considering other people, without considering the future of the planet' and look what a mess that has got us into.

But I'm still interested in the initial question, so have anyone found vitamin B12 helpful for weight loss?

Great cycling clothes for women

I'm a keen cyclist and an avid Tour de France watcher - this year is so exciting.

I also like the cycling clothes from Terry - fun, stylish clycling clothes for women of all shapes and sizes.

I smiled at this great "Queen of the Mountain" tee with tasteful polka dots on one sleeve - for those of you not in the know - in the Tour there is a race for king of the mountain and the winner of that wears a polka dot tee.

A while ago i wrote some tips for those just starting out in cycling.

Help reduce animal suffering - shareholders needed

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is working on a campaign to seek commitments from several prominent companies to end their charitable donations that specifically fund antiquated, unscientific, cruel, and ineffective animal research. We will be filing a number of shareholder proposals to request that the companies implement policies on humane giving. These new policies would end the financial support of animal research with little, if any, human health value, and instead promote the charitable support of humane, nonanimal research with human health benefits. We are in need of persons owning stock in the above listed companies to support these proposals. These proposals are an important step in our efforts to end cruel and ineffective animal research. Our filing deadlines will be quickly approaching in the coming months, so we need to hear from you soon to diligently proceed.

We need one or more shareholders for each one of the companies. The stock must be worth at least $2,000 and have been held at least since September 2008. The stock can be held in your own name, or by your broker, but it cannot be owned through a mutual fund. If you or someone you know fits into this category, and is interested in helping, please contact PCRM attorney Katherine Lin either by e-mail at klin@pcrm.org or by phone at 202-686-2210, ext. 350. If you would like to help, please act now.