Air filtering Plants

Most plants you pot for out door viewing. However there are some plants that can be potted for indoor use. These plants help filter toxins within the household environment. Not only do these plants help decrease carbon dioxide from the house environment but they also give off a good presentation within the home. Don't overdo it by keeping too many plants indoor however 1 or 2 plants per room is enough. Make sure plants get plenty of water and sun from nearby windows.

Good Air filtering plants:
Bamboo Palm
Chinese Evergreen
English Ivy
Gerbera Daisy
Janet Craig Dracaena
Mass Cane/Corn Plant
Peace Lily (shown to the right)
Pot Mum
Snake Plant
Striped Dracaena

What to eat at each Meal

At every meal you should try to eat 1 serving of protein, 1 serving of fruits & vegetables, 1 serving of good fats and 1 serving of carbohydrates. Here is a list of eat type of food group and the foods you should choose from.

Proteins:
Chicken
Turkey
Lean ground turkey
Swordfish, Tuna, Haddock, Salmon, Trout
Crab, Shrimp, Lobster
Ground Beef
Steak
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Lamb
Mozzarella

Vegetables:
Broccoli
Asparagus
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Green Beans
Peppers
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomato
Peas
Celery
Cucumber
Onion
Zucchini
Cabbage
Brussel Sprouts

Fruits:
Apples
Avocado
Berries
Cantaloupe
Grapes
Orange
Nectarine
Pear
Tangerine
Strawberries
Olives

Good Fats:
Avocado
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Peanuts
Peanut butter
Low fat cheese
Low fat salad dressing
Olives
Sunflower, canola, flax seed oil

Carbohydrates:
Baked potato
Brown or wild rice
whole wheat pasta
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans
Yogurt
Whole wheat bread
Whole grains
Light popcorn
High fiber cereal

Change your Habits

People don't realize that 80% of your weight comes from what you put into your mouth. To really lose weight you have to change your lifestyle. Change the way you eat and you will start to notice the difference right away. Replace high calorie, high sugar snacks with fruit and vegetables. If you normally have a side of fries, change it to a small salad or a cup of fruit salad. Increase your protein and fiber intake. Protein increases your metabolism so your body uses more energy and burns fat. Fiber helps to make you feel fuller quicker. Make sure you eat breakfast. Many people's downfall is that they skip breakfast. They are actually hurting themselves by doing this. By eating breakfast you are actually jump starting your metabolism for the day. A faster metabolism allows you to burn sugar and fat in your body. When your metabolism slows down, your body goes into fat storing rather than fat burning which can hinder weight loss.
Remember portion size is important. Even if you are eating the right foods, if you are overeating you're not helping yourself. Remember that portion control is very important. Proteins such as beef, chicken and fish should only be about 4 oz. Vegetables should be 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw. Fruits include 1 medium piece of fruit or 1/2 cup cut fruit. Good fats should be limited to 1 Tbsp of oils, or 2 Tbsp of peanut butter or salad dressing.
Not everyone has the time or ability to weigh out all of their foods to the exact portion. Use household items to compare sizing. Four oz. of meat is about the size of the classic Ipod. One serving of cheese is equal to the size of a matchbox. One serving of oil or salad dressing is equal to the size of a 1 oz shot glass. Once you know the approximate size of each serving it will be easier for you to portion out each serving size.
Prepare your meals and snacks ahead of time to save you time and effort. If you are like me I determine what I want to eat based upon what I feel like eating. This makes it difficult to set a schedule a week or month in advance. So instead I prepare my meals the night before. This still saves me time in the morning. It also keeps the portion sizes correct.
Remember that your body's metabolism needs to be replenished every couple of hours. That is why it is recommended to eat a small snack every 2-3 hours. This keeps you from overeating at larger meals. Keep healthy snacks (portioned out) around you all the time. Nuts and dried fruit are good healthy snacks that can be kept at work, in your car or on your person.
Although exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, you can't just jump into it and expect to be able to do everything at once. Muscles atrophy overtime if not used. It takes time for muscles to rebuild themselves. Set goals for yourself. If you haven't worked out in a long time start out small and build up. Start out by walking 10-20 minutes a day. Yoga and pilates are good stress relieving exercises that are good for stretching and flexibility. After a week increase your time. Try jogging for a couple minutes to increase your heart rate. Always stretch before and after working out. Stretching relieves tension that builds up in the muscles.
Don't try to make all of these changes at once. You may be overwhelmed by all the changes and don't stick with them. Start by making one or two small changes until they become habit, then add another. Soon you will be on the right track to losing the weight you want to!

Chiropractic

Although one of the more well known alternative medicines, people still don't understand or comprehend what chiropractic is about. Many people are still scared or apprehensive about chiropractic care because they don't understand the philosophy behind it. However, the chiropractic profession as a whole seems to continue to steadily grow even though its still put down by the conservative medical community and common insurance carriers.
Just to give you an idea about what an average person thinks about chiropractic:

" If I go to a chiropractor, I have to go for the rest of my life."
"I will get injured if they crack my neck."
"One adjustment should heal me."
"I only need 1 adjustment."

Although, these are not all incorrect they are not all accurate either. What people don't understand is that once you decide to become a chiropractic patient, you are not just deciding to adjust your spine, but the way you are taking care of your health.
Humans are naturally active creatures and we are constantly moving our bodies which in turn moves our spines. Not every movement will cause the vertebrae to move out of place. But certain movements, traumas, injuries will definitely cause subluxations. A subluxation is the clinical term for when a vertebrae moves, rotates or shifts from its natural place within the spinal column. This movement of the vertebrae can happen anytime within your life even starting from birth up through old age. Therefore unless we as humans decide to stop movement altogether so as to not cause misalignments within the spine, that is why chiropractic is a change of lifestyle and not just having to go to the chiropractor all your life.
Chiropractic was founded in 1898 by D.D. Palmer. He discoverd that by slightly moving a misaligned vertebrae back into place he could restore normal activity, range of motion and feeling to specific areas of the body. What he realized was that when a vertebrae moves out of place it cuts off the circulation, blood flow and nerve response to that specific region of the body. Thousands of nerves protrude from the spine into every part of our body which are controlled by the brain. Our brain sends signals down the spinal column to the correct nerve endings to cause the body to react. It takes nanoseconds for this to happen. However if the signal is not being received from the brain due to a misalignment of the spine it can cause disease, pain, inflammation, decreased range of motion, headaches, numbness, burning, and a whole long list of other symptoms.
Chiropractors are the DOCTORS who are specifically trained to adjust and realign the spine (I capitalized doctors because the general conception is that they are not doctors.). Just like general practioner's and medical doctors, chiropractors study the body extensively inside and out. So if you would trust your MD or PCP why wouldn't you trust your chiroractor? You choose your doctors, so choose your chiropractor too.
Chiropractic is not an end to all means. Everyone expects to be "fixed" immediately. Rome was not built in a day, our bodies accrue overtime. Everything we do, eat, breathe in, and take into our bodies builds up overtime. So why would we expect for it to all change and get better after one treatment. It's ridiculous to think that. Not to mention our muscles are made up of memory cells. So if you have been misaligned for 30 years, your muscles think that is correct posture. It takes time and adjustments for chiropractors to re-educate your muscles to correct spinal alignment. So the body will naturally want to revert back to misalignment after the 1st adjustment. That is why although you may feel better after 1 or 2 adjustments its important to continually re-educate your body to proper postural alignment. That is why its important to keep up with your adjustments. You may not even feel any symptoms when you need to be adjusted. Once you are a chiropractic patient you will know when you need to be adjusted. You will automatically feel better once you get adjusted. You will have no reservations about chiropractic care.

Nutritional Supplements

Now a days no one wants to take drugs. Doctors continue to prescribe even though patients are looking for alternative methods. Prescription medication doesn't always work rather they normally have rather appalling side effects, and can be very expensive.
Recently, some doctors and alternative physcians have started to recommend nutritional supplements for their patients. Nutritional supplements are normally natural or organic products that our bodies need to help maintain optimal health. Rather than taking prescription drugs, you would take nutritional supplements to alleviate your ailments.
Our bodies were created with everything that we need. There are somethings that are naturally produce within the body, where as other things we need to consume to keep our body healthy such as food for energy. At times our bodies can break down or stop producing vital hormones, minerals, or vitamins that we need to sustain life. When this happens we need to supplement our bodies through additional nutritional products. In addition, the American lifestyle doesn't allow us to always get our nutrients through the food we eat, and through the activities in our lifestyle. This causes us to need to take additional nutritional supplements.
Nutritional supplements can be procured at vitamin stores, complimentary and alternative stores, doctors such as acupunturist, chiropractor or nutritionist, etc. The best nutritional supplements are easily absorbable by the body, don't have additives, and have very few ingredients. Always check before purchasing nutritional supplements.
Some nutritional supplements that are in the spot light include multivitamins, omega fish oils, B12, B complex, and vitamin D.

Yoga

Yoga is an alternative exercise that has grown rapidly in popularity over the past decade. However, yoga has been around for thousands of years and is actually a discipline rather than an exercise. Yoga is mental and spiritual well being brought about through physical postures and poses. It involves a connection between the mind and body through breathing. Yoga strengthens the muscles and stretches the body in order to calm the mind. Yoga is a great way to improve flexibility and decrease physical discomfort in the body.
Due to high stress levels in people's lives, many turn to yoga to reduce this stress. Yoga is known for reducing stress and increased relaxation of both mind and body. However it has many other health benefits as well. Yoga has been known to help with people who suffer from lower back pain. Due to specific poses, yoga strengthens and stretches muscles which can be effected by injuries. In addition people who suffer from high anxiety have seen improved results from yoga based on its calming of the mind and spirit.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a technique whereby inserting needles into specific points on the body will reduce pain and increase the body's own ability to heal itself.
According to Chinese medicine, from which acupuncture originated, the body is made up of qi, and sustains life through the flow of blow and qi. Qi is the body's vital energy. This energy flows through the body along meridians or pathways. Acupuncture points are positioned along these meridians in the body.
The idea of acupuncture is that energy moves along the meridians. When energy gets stuck or stagnant, needles are placed at specific points to release the energy and allow the body to heals itself.
Acupuncture is about balancing or returning the body's balance of qi. Therefore whenever there are signs of imbalance such as pain, aches, sickness, or injury, acupuncture is the prescribed treatment. Acupuncture treats a variety of diseases and disorders such as headaches, migraines, low back pain, whiplash, cold, flu, PMS, tendonitis, etc.
When looking for an acupuncture facility make sure the physician is a doctor of acupuncture. Check the doctors credentials before starting treatment.

Complimentary & Alternative Medicine

Many Americans have started looking towards alternative medicine rather than general medicine. The reason for this is due to the amount of prescriptions that general doctors are prescribing without treating the patient. People want doctors to care about them and their problems. They are tired of doctors throwing pills at the problem.

In the past MD's didn't believe in alternative medicines. However now a days patients are turning to complimentary and alternative medicines. And because so many people are turning to alternative medicines, insurances have started to cover some of these treatments. Even MD's are starting to catch up to current medicine and use complimentary treatments in conjunction with conventional medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine involves the connection between the mind and body and not only relieves symptoms but works to resolve the underlying problems as well.

Complimentary and alternative medicines include Yoga, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Biofeedback, meditation, hypnotherapy, and nutritional supplements.

The Color of Fruits & Vegetables

We are told to eat 5-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables come in all different colors. The colors signify different beneficial ingredients for the body.
Red- Contains a phytochemical lycopene.
Vegetable- Tomato
Fruit- Watermelon
Benefit- Protect against prostate and breast cancer.
Orange- Alpha and Beta carotene is converted into Vitamin A and act as an antioxidant.
Vegetable-Carrots, Sweet Potato
Benefits- Keeps eyes, bones and immune system healthy. Antioxidants reduce disease promoting free radicals.
Yellow/Green-Good sources of lutein & zeaxanthin phytochemicals. Rich in beta carotene.
Vegetable- Leafy greens
Benefit- Prevent age-related macular degeneration of the eyes.
Green- Contains compounds such as indoles and isothiocyanates.
Vegetable- Broccoli, kale
Benefit- May prevent cancer. Increases production of enzymes that clear toxins from the body.
Blue/Purple- Full of anthocyanus and proanthocyanins.
Fruits- Blueberries
Vegetables- Eggplant
Benefits- Antioxidants that help keep the heart healthy and brain functioning.

Shop & Save

I know that the dollar store doesn't give off the best connotation but don't knock it til you try it. You can find some good items at the dollar store, plus in the end you'll always end up saving! In today's economy everyone is strapped for cash and looking for a way to save money. You can't find everything at the dollar store, however there are somethings that you can find for a lot less but are equally effective. Just be careful which dollar store you go to. Today not everything at the dollar store is just a dollar. Some items that you can save on by purchasing at the dollar store include candles, house cleaning products, hygiene products, household products, etc. Now some dollar stores even carry food products. Pick up canned goods at the dollar store and you can save a couple dollars worth!

More Fiber in your diet

Studies show that the average American gains 1-2 lbs every year. One way to prevent this weight gain is to add fiber to your diet. Fiber has even been known to encourage weight loss. There is no dieting or exercise involved. Just add at least 8 grams of fiber per 1000 calories consumed.
Why does fiber encourage weight loss? Fiber has no calories. Also fiber helps you feel full. By eating high fiber foods, you will feel fuller, which gives you less chance to eat unhealthy foods. Some foods that are high in fiber include raspberries, chickpeas, strawberries, and green beans.

Tips to a better You!

1. Brush and floss your teeth every day. Flossing is just as important as brushing because it cleans out the build up in between your teeth which can lead to gum disease.
2. Eat fruits & vegetables with lots of Vitamin C to keep your skin healthy. Vitamin C also prevents the breakdown of collagen which gives your skin its firmness.
3. Smile. Smiling lifts facial muscles. It makes you look younger and happier.
4. Use an electric toothbrush for a deeper clean and whiter teeth.
5. Soak feet in a tub of warm water. This will reduce dryness. Pat dry and file off and rough areas. Apply a body lotion to add moisture to your skin.
6. Don't ever scratch bug bites. This will avoid scarring. Topical itch relievers can be used to aid in the effort.
7. Don't cut your cuticles. Cuticles are the bodies own natural defenses against bacteria. Instead use cuticle oils to moisturize and soften the cuticle. Then push them back.
8. Skip a day in between washing your hair. This helps hair keep its natural shine. You hair has its own natural oil and if washed too often your hair will be stripped of these oils.
9. Trim your hair every 6 weeks. Hair that is dry with split ends takes longer and is harder to style.
10. Add a slice of lemon to your water. Lemon is an antioxidant and will rejuvenate your skin and cleanse your body of toxins.
11. After conditioning rinse your hair with cool water. This will lock in your hairs color and shine.
12. Use chap stick with SPF daily. This will prevent your lips from chapping and getting burned.

Natural Remedies for the Cold & Flu

During the winter months people are more susceptible to catching the cold or flu. Instead of running to the doctor at the first sign of a problem, such as a cough or a sniffle, try these home remedies first. Remember your symptoms usually determine whether you have a cold or the flu. Symptoms from the neck up usually are signs of a cold and symptoms from the neck down usually mean the flu.

Chicken Soup:
When you were little, what did your mom always make you when you were sick? Chicken Noodle Soup. That's because the warmth of the broth not only hydrates the body, but eases upper respiratory symptoms.
Vitamin C:
Helps boost your immune system to fight off infection. May also reduce cold and flu symptoms.
Zinc:
Has been proven to help ease symptoms at the early sign of a cold or flu. It has also been known to reduce the length a cold will last. Zinc lozenges are the best way to go and can be found at an local pharmacy.
Echinacea:
This herb can reduce the risk of getting a cold. However the effects, once you have a cold are slightly reduced. Normally found in a liquid form.
Neti Pot:
Rinse out your nasal passages with salt water or saline solution. This will clear your nose if you are congested or stuffed up. It will also keep your nasal passage lubricated if your nose is dry.
Raw Garlic:
Garlic has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Mix finely chopped raw garlic with hummus, or spinach dip and eat. Cook garlic and the properties which may reduce a cold or virus are diminished slightly.
Honey:
Strengthens the immune system. Protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Honey soothes the throats irritation from coughing.