Month: March 2010

Using the Google Reader, Part 1

Part 1.

When the number of blogs you track becomes too much to manage, it is time to look into installing a reader. One of the best choices too help you manage all of this content is the Google Reader.

A reader is a tool which functions as an aggregator.  It pulls all of your blogs and RSS subscriptions into one single location.  All you have to do is open the reader, and your favorite blogs and websites will be there waiting for you every day, with their most recent content ready for you to read.

A reader is a great time-saving device, eliminating the need to visit site after site to keep up to date, or subscribe to email alerts to help you do the same.  A reader is not only an amazing time saver, it also makes it easy to see at a glance what content is valuable and what isn’t. You can flick through the headlines in the time that it would take you to just go from site to site.

Google Reader is one of the easiest readers to use, and also one of the most popular.  Best of all, it’s free, and easy to install.

To use Google Reader you must use:

* Internet Explorer 6 or above

* Firefox 1.0+ or above

* Safari 1.3+

* Netscape 7.2+

* Mozilla 1.7+

You must also have or create a Google account, which will come with other robust tools like Gmail.  If you already use AdSense, Adwords, Gmail, or any other Google product you already have a Google account, and can access the reader from it.

 

(Continued in Part 2)

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Book Review: Poisoning Our Children

Is your environment healthy? Or are your kids breathing and living in an environment that is toxic and may be causing serious harm to them? What do you really know about the environment in which you live?

In Poisoning our Children, Nancy Green describes her difficult journey to discover the source of her illness and her efforts to make herself and her environment healthy again. In doing so she outlines ways that everyone can eliminate exposures to dangerous chemicals. She particularly addresses how parents can create a safe, non-toxic environment for their children.

Included in this useful book is information on some shocking things that most people are not aware of, including:

-the pesticide residues in food:

-the formaldehyde in furniture, carpeting and clothing;

-the untested chemicals in household cleaning products;

-the number of chemicals in everyday items like soap and shampoo.

 

The how and why these chemicals can make us sick, and what to do about them, is a major part of this ground breaking book.

The author shares how over the course of many months, with trips to several doctors, she suffered debilitating symptoms of an illness that defied diagnosis.

The final diagnoses that was given was astounding and unbelievable: her home was literally making her sick. With the knowledge she gained, Green began to get well, and set out to learn all that she could about the chemical/health disorder known as Environmental Illness (EI).

In the book she makes a convincing case for parents to change from a toxic to non-toxic lifestyle, with a lot of practical “how-tos” included.

While Green’s story may be an extreme example of EI, her cautionary tale is one to be heeded. Parents have serious choices to make when it comes to what is in and around our home.

To be educated is the best way to know what is around our kids that can cause irreversible harm. Poisoning Our Children is the perfect resource to learn about what lurks in the environment that might be harming your family, and how to live a cleaner and greener lifestyle without so many harmful chemicals.

 

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Is Your Fussy Eater Getting All the Nutrition They Need? Part 1

 

As a parent, you want what is best for your child, especially when it comes to their health and the foods they eat every day. It is pretty easy to control when your child is a newborn who relies on you for 100 percent of their meals and snacks.

 

In particular, if you are breastfeeding, you will make certain that you are eating all the things that you and your baby need, and taking vitamins and supplements as needed.

 

If you are giving them formula, you pay attention to the doctor’s recommendations, and buy the best formula your baby can have in order to get all the nutrition they need in their vital early stages of development.

 

At this point in your child’s life, their nutrition should be complete, no matter what feeding choice you make. But once you start on solid foods, this is where the trouble can start to creep in.

 

Once they start to develop their own likes and dislikes when it comes to food, it can be a running battle to get them to eat that is goof for them.

 

Whether have got a fussy toddler or a stubborn teen or pre-teen, once a child has learned to say no, they control what ultimately goes into their stomachs.

 

In this case, it can seem almost impossible to get all the recommended food groups into their diet. So, if like many parents you wonder if your fussy eater is getting all the vitamins and nutrients their body needs, keep reading to find out the signs of a lack of balance in their diet.

 

(Continued in Part 2)

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Using the Google Reader, Part 2

(Continued from Part 1)

 

Now that you have a gmail or other Google account, it is time to get set up with Google Reader.

 

To use Google Reader, you have several options.  When you are browsing online and you come across a site you’re interested in subscribing to, simply click on their subscribe button. It is usually a little orange square, or it might say RSS on it.

 

Most often if you have Google Reader installed, your computer will recognize that, and you’ll be given the option to view the blog feed on your iGoogle Homepage or Google Reader.

 

If you have an iGoogle homepage set up already, then it’s time to decide where you want to view the blogs you are interested in.  Simply choose Google Reader and all the information will start being aggregated there.

 

You can also subscribe to a blog or RSS feed by using the subscribe bookmark function.  Simply drag the link to your bookmarks bar.  You can then click the bookmark to view the content in Google Reader.

 

You can also manually add subscriptions to your Google Reader by using the “add subscriptions” function.  By clicking on the add option while Google Reader is open, you can enter the URL of the blog or website of any content you are interested in, and add it to your list.

 

You can also browse the preloaded feed bundles to discover new blogs and websites or search by keyword.  It will make various suggestions for you to check out to see if they will be of use to you. You can do this every few months or so to see who the new movers and shakers are in the blog world in your area/s of interest.

 

In case you don’t know how to find the RSS subscribe button, it is easy. Any site with the little orange widget which looks like an echo, several curving lines and a dot in the upper right hand corner of the address bar of your browser is one you can subscribe to and read through your reader of choice.  You might occasionally see it on a site in blue as well, but orange is the most common color.

 

Once you see it in your address bar,  ust click on it. If you are not logged in, Google will ask you to do so. It is that easy.

 

(Continued in Part 3)

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Is It a Yeast Infection? Or Something Worse? Part 2

Part 2.

Once you know the signs and symptoms of a yeast infection, you can decide on the best way to handle it.

 

The most obvious symptom of a yeast infection is the discomfort in the affected area. This is certainly one of the revealing and most common symptoms of a yeast infection. The kind of discomfort is often described as an intense burning or itching sensation.

 

Pain when urinating is caused by the irritated lining of the vaginal area. In severe cases. the infected individual may experience extreme discomfort, such that carrying out normal daily activities such as walking can be affected.

 

Sexual intercourse too becomes painful for most affected women and indeed, should not be undertaken without a condom or barrier because of the risk of passing on the infection and/or getting re-infected. Oral sex should be off limits for the same reason.

 

Another way which will help you consider the likelihood of a yeast infect ion is by taking note of the appearance of the affected area. Most individuals afflicted with a yeast infection describe the area looking white and having the appearance of curdled milk. Redness and soreness is evident in the affected area most of the time as well.

 

A discharge may or may not be present, depending on the case. Note that only about 20% of women afflicted the infection report the presence of a discharge in the vaginal area. The discharge may be clear to whitish or slightly yellowish, and may be anywhere from thin to thick consistency.

 

Lastly, another sign that may help how to confirm a yeast infection is the distinct odor. The discharge may or may not be accompanied by a starchy odor, the kind that resembles bread or beer when it is being made.

 

Note that yeast is used in bread making as a leavening agent, and in beer making for fermentation. That is because the infection basically is a fungal infection, commonly caused by Candida albicans, a form of yeast.

 

Some people recommend that if you are prone to vaginal yeast infections, you should avoid eating a lot of products with yeast in them, and eat more yogurt and items with natural bacteria in them. Whatever your decision about diet, beware of using too many over the counter medications to treat yeast infections.

 

Stay clean, wear cotton underwear that is loose enough to breathe, not synthetics, and beware of thongs, as they can transfer bacteria from the back to the front of your body more easily than a regular pair of panties.

 

Be sure to go to your doctor for regular pelvic exams. And if you are sexually active but not in an exclusive relationship, then be sure to get a thorough check up and practice safe sex at all times.

 

Yeast infections can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but they are not nearly as bad as a sexually transmitted disease. Both can be prevented if you take the right steps to look after your health.

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Is It a Yeast Infection? Or Something Worse? Part 1

Part 1.

The best way to confirm a yeast infection is either to make an appointment with your doctor to perform a diagnosis or taking an over the counter test. Your doctor will perform a physical assessment and take a sample of your vaginal discharge. An over the counter test, on the other hand, works much like a home pregnancy kit test. In this case, the pH balance in your system is tested to confirm the presence of a yeast infection.

 

It is always a good idea to confirm that you have a yeast infection before finally deciding to treat it with over the counter medications. You may end up doing even more harm to yourself if you treat a condition that you do not have.

 

A yeast infection is a bothersome condition, to say the least. However, self medicating a suspected yeast infection may disrupt the normal pH balance of your body, causing a change in chemistry. You might kill off one bug, if you have it, but could also trigger a proliferation of microorganisms which can then lead to actual infections.

 

The trouble with resorting to over the counter yeast infection medications right away is that women are using them too often these days, resorting to them at the first sign of trouble now that they are available over the counter without a prescription.

 

A woman who goes through certain signs and symptoms may immediately think she is experiencing a yeast infection. But the truth is there are many other infections that also demonstrate the presenting signs and symptoms of a yeast infection. These may include bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia and even gonorrhea.

 

However, there are three specific signs and symptoms of a yeast infection: discomfort, appearance and odor.  If you are experiencing these three signs and symptoms, you are most likely suffering a yeast infection.

 

However, only a doctor can be really sure. If you are sexually active, but not in an exclusive relationship, or have a partner but are concerned about their fidelity, you should definitely be sure to get checked out.

 

Knowing the most common signs of a yeast infection can help you decide whether or not to go to the doctor, or use a treatment for it.

 

Continued in Part 2

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Botox Injections for Wrinkles, Part 2

(Continued from Part 1)

 

So now that you know that botox is a rat poison which paralyzes the muscles in your face to smooth out wrinkles, you may have already decided that botox injections to improve the appearance of your wrinkles may not be the best idea for you health-wise. But if you are still thinking about it, read on.

 

Botox, Anyone?

 

Who hasn’t heard of Botox at this point? There are certainly enough jokes about having no wrinkles but a frozen face after the procedure. Many celebrities have gone through this procedure just to remove the unwanted lines on their faces. This is especially useful if your appearance helps you to earn your living, but is it really a good idea for the rest of us?

 

Here are a few things to remind yourself of before getting the procedure.

 

1. Botox is for wrinkles only.

known for removing wrinkles. But it will not help diminish other common akin problems caused by aging such as the age spots, sun damage and problems with pigmentation. This will also not soften your skin if your main concern is about its roughness.

 

2. Botox is not cheap.

This is a costly procedure. If you really want to undergo such, you have to save up for it, since it will not be carried by insurance. You will also need more than one treatment.

 

3. It can be risky in the hands of the wrong doctor.

Botox is a toxin.  With so many people viewing dermatology as a license to print money with so many people living longer, but still wanting to look young, you might believe you are getting a top doctor only to get someone who does not know what they are doing.. The procedure entails injecting of toxins to your skin. Not everybody has the same reaction on those toxins.  Look for the doctor’s credentials, recommendations, and level and training of staff in the office.

 

4. Get a full check up before you ever consider going.

You might not be physically fit for Botox.  Tell your doctor what you are considering doing. Even if the doctor says it is okay to go ahead, remember to tell dermatologist giving the Botox treatment about any vitamins and medicines to be sure you will not react to the treatment.

 

5. There are risks you will look worse.

If not done properly, instead of removing the unwanted lines, you may end up having more than what you had before going through it.

 

6. This is not for sensitive types of skin and veins.

Botox includes injections. The one who will be getting the shots must first make sure that they are ready emotionally, physically and mentally. Inflammation can occur, puffiness, and other visible signs of injection.

 

Botox injections for wrinkles are a serious undertaking that you should never treat lightly. You need to prepare for it well and know the risks as well as the rewards. Do your research and make the right decision based on your health and what you can afford.

 

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