Green Home and Family Magazine

Summer is the time for swimming and enjoying yourself in the pool. This however may leave your hair lifeless and dull. The impurities in the water make your hair look like hay and feels like copper wire. There are some great herbal treatments to help you counter the effects of a stay by the pool.
Purchase volcanic ash from the organic market and  make a paste out of it with coconut water. Apply the paste to dry hair and let the scalp soak up the ingredients. Even if the paste dries up in the process, it is not a problem: Let set for 10 minutes, then rinse to restore softness.
Yogurt is another good vitalizer for the hair. If yogurt is applied to lifeless, dull hair as an organic treatment, it will do wonders in a weeks time. Yogurt will cool the scalp and relieve you of a severe headache as well. It is the yeast in the curd which is very beneficial for the roots of the hair. In fact, yeast is good for supressing dandruff also.
Over the counter, yet natural, hair care products will nourish the hair and scalp helping your hair keep it's natural beauty. Check www.btruenaturals.com for hair care products such as organic shampoos, chemical free shampoos, sulfate free shampoos, & other  natural skin care and organic body care products.

Results from a recent University of South Carolina study lead by Professor Steven N. Blair may create waves in the running community. After thoroughly examining medical and physical activity data on 40,000 men (ages 20 to 90).  Dr Blair and his team concluded that in addition to having 53% lower mortality rates then their sedentary peers (no big surprise there) swimmers also have a 49% lower mortality rate than runners! In other words, according to the findings, swimmers have a 49% better chance of staying alive this year than runners. This one study might not cause you to immediately exchange your running shoes for fins, but cross training in the pool a couple of days a week may be the right combination to improve your overall fitness ad keep you living longer than the rest off the members in your jogging group.

There's no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we seek it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management), massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your healthcare regimen. Experts estimate that upwards of 90% of disease is stress-related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether in this fast-paced world may be idealistic, massage can,without a doubt, help manage stress. Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch - which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units.

Shiatsu
 Shiatsu literally translated means "finger pressure" and is based on the same principals as acupuncture but uses touch of varying pressures and gentle stretches to help release and balance the energy system of the body to encourage self-healing. Coming originally from the traditional Chinese medical system, shiatsu is deeply relaxing and yet energizing treatment can be used to help with fatigue, stress, anxiety, worry, muscular tension, insomnia, hot flashes, and the side effects of drugs, e.g. indigestion and constipation.

Reiki
 Reiki is a system of healing. Reiki is a spiritual healing discipline with it's roots in ancient eastern teachings, and is a Japanese word meaning Universal Life (rei) Energy (ki). Reiki is thus the vital life energy which flows through all living thing and which can be activated for the purpose of healing. The Reiki therapist channels the Ki through his or her hands to the recipient, activating the body's natural abilityto heal itself. When a person's Ki is strong and flowing freely, the body and mind are in a positive state of health. However, the vital energy may become weak or blocked, and this may lead to symptoms on a physical or emotional level. The therapist's hands are placed above the body in a series of positions. It can alleviate pain, anxiety and low mood  and help generate relaxation and a feeling of well-being.

Reflexology
 Reflexology is a holistic method that involves pressure and massage of the reflex points  on the feet and hands. It teaches that life force or energy moves throughout the body via nerve and meridian (energy) pathways and that, if this is blocked, it can cause imbalance. These blockages can be detected via the reflex points and dissipated by pressure and massage techniques which encourage healing. Reflexology can help alleviate pain and anxiety, low mood, hot flashes, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, as well as helping tissue healing.

Once a rare and exotic treat, seaweed rolls and bites of raw tuna are now familiar to most food fans. So familiar, in fact, that many of us like to make them in our own kitchens. "Everybody thinks:'sushi is so expensive - I can buy cheap fish, fresh fish, I can make it at home.' It's not true. Not every fish is suitable to eat raw," says chef and restaurateur  Yoshi Tome. He sees himself as an educator as well as a chef, and believes that home sushi makers need to be careful. "I get these questions all the time - people call me:'Hey Yoshi, my husband caught a big salmon, and we were looking to eat it as sashimi. We opened it, and a bunch of worms came out. Can we eat it?'" His answer: "You cannot eat it as sashimi; but you can throw away the affected parts and cook and eat the rest." Our answer: a google search for all local sushi restaurants saves you the hassles and the possible after effects of a bad decision.

This isn't about bad manners or dad's favorite quote. It is about sheep,cattle, deer, and goats, the premier emittersof methane gas in the world and in this case, mother nature is saying "pull my finger" too often for comfort. According to the New Zealand Telegraph, New Zealand's 45 million sheep and 10  million cattle are responsible for more than half of that nation's methane emissions. That's a lot of burping and farting, but don't laugh, to New Zealand's government this is serious stuff, so serious that an animal "flatulence tax"may be imposed on farmers. According to Phil Goff, New Zealand's trade minister, scientists in that country have mapped the genome that causes methane in animals. that, he says, can lead to a vaccine that would turn off the fart switch and reduce greenhouse gasses. It may be awhile, but Goff told an Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development meeting in Paris that a solution to the problem was in sight.Not just New Zealand's worry, scientists in Australia have reportedly developed a burp vaccine  that acts against the archaean microbes that produce methane in sheep.In the U.S., it's reported that about 2 % of this country's methane emissions come from livestock, so while it may not be top priority, it is definitely "in the air" at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Millions of Americans are turning to alternative health treatments, vitamins and herbs to enhance or improve their health. The ups and downs of the teenage years are a perfect place to experiment with some simple and green alternatives.

Oily Hair:
Many people with oily hair over correct it by using shampoo that is too strong. Chemicals can be harmful and dry your scalp too much.To avoid the overdo make sure your shampoo doesn't have sodium lauryl sulfate or NDELA (nitrosodiethanolamine) as one of the ingredients. Try a lemon rinse for a special shine to your hair without any of the harmful side effects. Squeeze two lemons into a bottle of two cups of distilled water. After you shampoo, towel dry hair and apply the lemon water to your hair and scalp. massage and leave on for five minutes then rinse with cool water.

Oily Skin:
There are two ways to deal with oily skin, internally and externally. Try flaxseed oil. "1-3 teaspoons a day is a must for healthy skin cells, no matter what type of skin you have," says Joni Loughran, an aesthetician and aromatherapist. Aromatherapy is also another great way to tone down the oils of your skin. Using a toner once or twice a week can be excellent for oily skin. Dilute 5 drops of Rosemary, geraniom or juniper essential oil with 1 tablespoon of an astringent based oil, like hazelnut. Put a few drops of the mixed oil onto a clean cotton

Top priority for technological breakthroughs?
Surprise: Nearly 4 in 10 Americans say “fuel efficiency and alternative fuels”

In a recently released national survey, commissioned by the Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), nearly 4 in 10 Americans polled say that improving fuel efficiency and developing alternative fuels should have the highest priority for investments that will lead to meaningful technological advances within the next decade. Reported as “American’s Choose their Cars Over Their Cancer Patients” the report is really much more of an insight than first thought. “These results are a snapshot in time of what people believe today should be the focus of technological investment,” said Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the FCEDA. “These survey results tell us that there is a tremendous interest in new technologies that will address a range of energy, medical and environmental concerns. These are instructive findings for large corporations, emerging startups and the investment community.”

Even more interesting were the demographic distinctions among the findings, including:
• For female respondents, the top investment focus was
medical (33%), which was cited foremost by 26% of men.
• More than four in 10 men (43%) said fuel efficiency and
alternative fuels should be the highest priority, while only
30% of women placed it on top.
• Respondents in western states cited medical as the utmost
priority at 34% versus 33% for fuel efficiency and alternative
fuels.
• Older survey participants were more inclined to select fuel
efficiency and alternative fuels — 42% for those ages 55
and older versus 37% for those aged 35-54 and 31% for
those between the ages of 18-34.

   Who can deny that the strawberry is one of the most delicious fruitsin this world? But the goodness doesn't stop there. Strawberries are what scientists call a "super - food"-- because they're rich in antioxidants experts say might help to keep cancer cells from forming. Weather you pick your own or buy off the supermarket shelf, local strawberries are a bargain buy right now and absolutely jam packed with juicy goodness including vitamin C (more than oranges) B complex and folate. Eat them on their own or half an our before the start of a meal to make the most of the internal cleansing qualities.

Vitamins & Minerals*     (*recommended daily allowance)
  Vitamin C - 136%   Vitamin K - 3%   Vitamin B2 - 5%   Vitamin B5 - 4%
  Vitamin B6 - 4%     Copper - 2%   Manganese - 20%  Dietary Fiber - 13%
  Iodine - 8%   Potassium - 6%   Folate - 5%

Anti-Aging Properties
The USDA human nutrition center on aging found that strawberries nourish brain cells increasing brain health and function.

Fighting Diseases
The antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals of strawberries combine to form a powerful disease fighting mixture.
Eating Strawberries Even Removes Tartar
Strawberries can be used to remove tartar in two ways. You can eat them, which most people will do, or you can cut them in half and rub them across your teeth. The acid in strawberries is extremely effective at dissolving tartar. Aside from removing the tartar on your teeth, the acids dramatically improve gum health.