Classics

Odds are, you know more than you think.The classics have left their mark on our language, architecture, history, and even our popular literature.

By: Caroline Taggart

Do you know Latin? How about Greek? Odds are you know more than you think. The influence of these “classical” civilizations is incredibly widespread. The classics have left their mark on our language, architecture, history, and even our popular literature.

We still talk about a “Midas touch,” because of the mythical character who asked the god Dionysus to make everything he touched turn to gold. These days we tend to think of the Midas touch — a seemingly effortless ability to make tons of money — as a good thing. However, the original Midas had to crawl back to Dionysus and beg for mercy when he realized that the “everything” that was turning to gold included his food, drink and, in some versions of the story, his daughter.

In the political world, the Athenians invented democracy over 2,500 years ago, when Cleisthenes introduced the idea of giving citizens — well, male citizens, in those days — the vote, regardless of wealth or class. From this time on, any man over the age of 30 was entitled to register with his local deme — a smaller version of the modern American counties, and derived from the word demos meaning “the people” — and have a say in every major public decision.

If you turn to popular literature, you’ll find some good examples in the Harry Potter series. Most of Harry’s spells are based on Latin words, and the evil Draco Malfoy is named after an extremely harsh Athenian lawmaker.

On top of all that, the ancient Greeks invented the Olympic Games and are to blame for almost every problem you have ever come up against in math class. The Romans came up with a calendar that stayed in use until 250 years ago and gave us the names of all our months; they also pioneered the concept of putting glass in windows and built some of the best and straightest roads in the whole world — they were built by soldiers who went everywhere on foot, so it was in their best interest to make the route from anywhere to anywhere as short as possible.

So it seems we owe those Greeks and Romans a whole lot. Try this short quiz to see how much has been passed on to you: You may know more about the classics than you think.

1) The classics were alive and well in the nineteenth century. In fact, the first name of one U.S. president (in office in the second half of the century) is distinctly classical in origin. Who was he, and who was he named after?

2) Before Andrew Johnson, President Abraham Lincoln had a vice president who also possessed a classical name: Who was he, and who was he named after?

3) Latin expressions often appear in sentences with a financial context. What does a pro rata salary mean?

4) Latin also arrives on the scene in crime fiction. What is a modus operandi? And what, strictly speaking, is an alibi?

5) The three classic orders of architecture range from the Doric (the oldest and simplest) to the Corinthian (the most recent and ornate). What’s the name of the one in between?

Answers

1) Ulysses S. Grant (president 1869-77); Ulysses is the Roman name for Odysseus, the Greek hero, who gave his name to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Odysseus fought in the Trojan War; he had a reputation for being wily and some say that the Trojan horse was his idea. Once the war was over he took 10 years to get home. What happened to him on the way is the subject of The Odyssey, and the reason we now use that word to mean any long, adventurous journey.

2) Hannibal Hamlin (vice president 1861-65); Hannibal was a Carthaginian general who fought against Rome in the third and second centuries B.C. For a long time, Carthage, a city in North Africa, was Rome’s only real rival in trade and influence in the Mediterranean. The two powers fought many wars over the years; the one involving Hannibal is famous, because he used elephants in battle. The Roman historian Livy tells us that they “terrified the horses not only by their appearance but by their unaccustomed smell and caused widespread panic.” Sadly the elephants weren’t used to the cold weather and, after marching through sunny Spain, many of them died crossing the Alps on the way to Italy.

3) Pro rata literally means “in proportion.” So if you work a three-day week you are paid three-fifths of the complete salary, for example, $50,000 pro rata.

4) A modus operandi is “a way of working,” such as when a criminal is known to always work alone or carry a knife rather than a gun. An alibi is evidence that you were somewhere else at the time of the crime. It is often used to mean an excuse, but that isn’t really correct.

5) The Ionic. Doric columns are sturdy and plain, Ionic ones are slimmer and have four spiral scrolls at the top, and Corinthian columns are decorated with the leaves of the plant known as bear’s breeches, Acanthus mollis. Many antebellum plantation houses have Ionic columns. The Capitol in Washington, D.C. features the Corinthian style. The original Parthenon in Athens, Greece, is the best place to see Doric columns, but the replica in Nashville, Tennessee, is the next best thing.

© 2010 Caroline Taggart, author of The Classics: All You Need to Know, from Zeus’s Throne to the Fall of Rome

About the Author:
Caroline Taggart, author of The Classics: All You Need to Know, from Zeus’s Throne to the Fall of Rome, has been an editor of non-fiction books for nearly 30 years and has covered nearly every subject from natural history and business to gardening and astronomy. She has written several books and was the editor of Writer’s Market UK 2009.

For more information on the book and the Blackboard Books ™, please visit www.rdtradepublishing.com.

Photo: Tudhaliya

Foot Fungus

A case of foot fungus can be very difficult to shake in part because of the enormous variety of fungi that make targeted medical treatments difficult to apply.

When you’re sick, sometimes the best course of action is to see a doctor—you know, for those times when you can’t remember what your original skin tone looked like underneath that rapidly-expanding purple rash.

Other times, however, you can feel safe taking care of things on your own and saving your physician some of her precious time and energy.

The following is a list of some common ailments for which some of the most effective remedies are probably already available in your medicine closet, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home.

Insomnia

* Turn off the laptop/iPad/iPod. Recent sleep research suggests that staring at an LCD screen (such as those prevalent on laptops, smartphones and tablet computers) before bedtime can disrupt the normal Circadian rhythm and keep you up past your bedtime. So make sure to give your eyes a rest for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

* Set a bedtime and stick to it. Your body is meant to get a regular amount of sleep at regular intervals. Ever since the invention of fire, however, going to sleep based on daylight cues has become progressively more difficult, hence the necessity to self-regulate with a predictable daily sleep schedule.

* Get up when the alarm goes off. Overuse of the snooze button not only disrupts your last precious minutes (or hours) of sleep, it confuses your body as to when it should expect to be asleep and when it should be awake. If you don’t plan on getting up when the alarm goes off, then you’ll probably be better off setting the alarm for a later time. This article might be able to help you break the habit and stick to your  sleep schedule.

* Sleep in a cold room. Multiple studies have shown that a cool air temperature aids in sleep—chilling your bedroom down to the mid-60s (or colder depending on your tolerance) can help people to fall asleep more quickly and sleep more soundly throughout the night.

* Avoid stimulants in the late afternoon and evening. Caffeine, tobacco, or excessive amounts of sugar are all strong stimulants, and can all contribute to insomnia by ramping up your body’s metabolism just when you’re getting ready to call it a night. Switching to decaf 8 hours before your intended bedtime can make all the difference in the world (see the “Home Care” section for insomnia posted by the National Institute for Health).

Foot and Toenail Fungus

* Keep your feet dry. Fungi need a warm, moist environment in order to grow, and your shoes are prime real estate. Take a look at 911health.com for a list of around-the-house products you can use to keep your feet dry throughout the day…and maybe also to keep your hands dry for those oh-so-important business partner handshakes.

* Vodka. Vodka has practical many uses above and beyond drinking away your smelly-feet sorrows. A 10-minute foot soak in the stuff can do wonders for feet that have been around the block a few times too many, although the soak alone might not be enough to get at fungus that’s taken up residence under the toenail. Commercial mouthwash can work too, but the lower alcohol percentage means reduced effectiveness compared to 80-proof Vodka.

* Lemon juice or vinegar. Basically, anything acidic should do the trick when it comes to killing off an unwanted fungus. Beware of anything with too high of a sugar content (as this will simply provide your fungus with an alternate food supply), and make sure to rinse your feet clean afterwards.

* Google.com. A case of foot fungus can be very difficult to shake, in part because the infection has grown deep into your skin or under a toenail, and in part because of the enormous variety of fungi that make targeted medical treatments difficult to apply. Thousands of people out there on the web are more than happy to share their deeply intimate and personal foot fungus experiences, from vodka to cayenne pepper to baby powder to olive oil and tabasco—just go ahead and google “foot fungus remedy”.

Random

* Canker sores. Aloe rinse? Alum and baking soda? Tea tree oil and a gargle of salt water? Take your pick from a dozen possible home treatments for canker sores.

* Halitosis (bad breath). Beyond just a mint and some mouthwash, it might be time to do more about that terrible odor that everyone’s nose except your own is cringing from. Professional and popular advice, from fenugreek to avocado and even including whole diet make-overs can be found at home-remedies-for-you.com.

* Backache. Even a small strain in your lower back can cause a lot of pain in short order, mostly because it’s very difficult to give those muscles any kind of sustained rest. Really, what can you do without incorporating your lower back to some degree or another? This website provides some guidance on how to avoid back injuries, and a few around-the-home tips that can speed recovery time.

* Ingrown toenail. There’s really only one way out of an ingrown toenail, and that’s to cut it out and hope that it regrows properly. A few tips from grannymed.com, however, might help that process go a little more smoothly, with less discomfort, a cleaner cut, and a lower incidence of recurrence.

* Ingrown hair. The hairchick.com website provides a litany of tips for preventing ingrown hairs, reversing the effects of existing ingrown hairs, and working to reduce the irritation and itching associated with chronic cases.

See previous articles on The Common Cold and Headaches, Toothaches, Heartburn and Indigestion

Guest posts from Guide to Massage Therapy Schools

Photo: thomaspudding

PMS and Chocolate

For those on a diet, PMS poses more than a temporary halt in weight loss. Premenstrual syndrome may cause the dieter to abandon her diet.

By: Judith J. Wurtman.

Dieters face situations that threaten their will power or even their ability to get the foods they are supposed to be eating. Catered business lunches, Sunday dinners at a relative’s home, birthday parties, lack of time to go to the supermarket: These are only a handful of the obstacles that stand between the dieter and her food plan. These problems are so common that advice on how to deal with them is standard in most weight-loss books and group programs.

But there is a threat to the female dieter that cannot be overcome by food lists and will-power and that is Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS.

PMS is a monthly disturbance in mood and appetite brought on by hormonal changes a few days before menstruation. Not all women experience it and even those who do may find that certain months are worse than others. But when it hits, it can be like a tidal wave, knocking down eating control, exercise programs and emotional stability. PMS removes a sense of emotional well-being and deposits in its place anger, irritability, confusion, exhaustion and depression. These unpleasant moods are often accompanied by an impulsive, uncontrollable need to eat. The foods craved during the last days of the menstrual cycle fall either into the greasy, salty, crunchy, starchy category or the fatty, creamy, sugary category.

Although it has been clear for millennium that something was happening to women each month that altered their mood, sleep, energy and eating, the explanations were often closer to witchcraft than science. Even in the latter part of the last century, remedies were suggested that turned out to be totally ineffective or actually worsened the condition. For instance, chocolate craving is a hallmark of PMS as in “I could kill for chocolate.” So well-meaning PMS therapists assumed chocolate was causing PMS and forbade it. It was believed that water on the brain (this was actually mentioned in the scientific literature) was affecting mood so diuretics were prescribed. Because the hormone progesterone increases in relation to estrogen at the end of the menstrual cycle, well-intentioned physicians prescribed even more to offset the PMS symptoms. This went on until carefully controlled research showed that progesterone made the symptoms worse. And even today, women’s magazines tell their readers to exercise, drink water, and eat fruits and vegetables to reduce the severity of the symptoms. This advice sounds good but it is impossible to follow by women who are exhausted, weepy, angry, and craving salty, greasy french fries.

Women with premenstrual syndrome do indeed eat more at that time than during the other weeks of their menstrual cycle. We monitored the calorie intake of women during their menstrual cycle in a study carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Women lived in the Clinical Research Center during the first few days of their cycle and then returned three weeks later when they had PMS. The normal weight volunteers consumed about 1100 calories more when they were premenstrual than they did at other times of the month. And to no one’s surprise, the extra calories came from chocolate, potato chips, cookies and crackers.

Our volunteers had no problem returning to their healthy way of eating once the PMS passed and they easily lost the pound or two they may have gained from their premenstrual munching. But for dieters, PMS poses more than a temporary halt in their weight loss. Premenstrual syndrome may cause the dieter to abandon her diet.

One of our weight-loss clients described the effect of PMS on her weight loss: “For three weeks I am in control, and my food choices follow the diet plan exactly. Then one day, during the fourth week of my menstrual cycle, I wake up with an uncontrollable urge to eat junk food. I simply can’t stop myself. This goes on for three or four days until I get my period. So of course my diet is blown, and I am three or four pounds heavier than I was a week earlier.”

Yet it is possible to stop PMS from destroying a diet.

The solution is to increase the production of serotonin, the brain chemical involved in regulating mood and weight. We discovered at MIT that serotonin activity is diminished during PMS so simply increasing serotonin production reduces the unpleasant mood and overeating during this time of the month.

Increasing serotonin is easy. The brain chemical is made when a non-fruit carbohydrate is eaten. Here is all that needs to be done:

Twice a day (or more if necessary) eat a snack containing 30-35 grams of a starchy or sweet carbohydrate. Choose foods that have no more than 2 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. Protein prevents serotonin from being made, and fat just adds calories.

Eat the foods on an empty stomach or three hours after a meal.

The snacks should be regarded as edible therapy for the PMS, not as a source of nutrition. Make sure you take your usual vitamin and calcium supplements and eat as many fruits, vegetables, low or non-fat dairy products and lean protein as your PMS cravings will allow.

Good snack choices include popcorn, fat-free fudge sauce (for PMS chocolate cravers), sweetened breakfast cereal, an English muffin with jam, oatmeal with brown sugar, graham crackers, low-fat granola bars, very low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, low-fat rice or soy crackers, pretzels, low-fat meringue cookies, low-fat biscotti and cotton candy (in case you have PMS while at a county fair).

A few caveats:

• * Alcohol is not a substitute for the carbohydrate.
• * Eating fruit will not lead to serotonin production.
• * Soda and other foods made with high fructose corn syrup sweeteners do not lead to serotonin production.
• *Restrain yourself from munching on fat-filled brownies, chips, ice cream, and chocolate. Your brain doesn’t know the difference but your scale will.

The effects of eating a low or fat-free carbohydrate snack on your mood and appetite should be felt within 45 minutes or even sooner. After eating the snack, relax, meditate, read a book or contemplate that when you reach menopause, all this will be over.

© 2010 Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs — Nature’s Own Appetite Suppressant — to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain

About the Author:
Judith J. Wurtman, PhD. co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs — Nature’s Own Appetite Suppressant — to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain, has discovered the connection between carbohydrate craving, serotonin, and emotional well-being in her MIT clinical studies. She received her PhD from George Washington University, is the founder of a Harvard University hospital weight-loss facility and counsels private weight management clients. She has written five books, including The Serotonin Solution, and more than 40 peer-reviewed articles for professional publications. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.

Photo: Eszter

Woman's Hair Loss

A person’s activities, diet, medications, natural hormones and childbirth, use of birth control pills, improper hair care and certain diseases can contribute to hair loss.

By: Natasha Morgan

Baby-boomer women have enough changes in their physical appearance without the added burden of hair loss. In my search for solutions I contacted the experts over at Bosley, a hair restoration firm with offices all over the U.S. and Mexico, who provided me with some answers to my questions about hair loss.

What causes hair loss in women?

Hair loss or baldness is a genetic trait, but how much of it is genetic, varies from one individual to another. Hair loss with genetic predisposition is called “androgenetic alopecia.”

Factors such as a person’s activities, diet, medications, natural hormones and childbirth, use of birth control pills, improper hair care and certain diseases can contribute to hair loss, but these factors may affect an individual more than another. While chemical treatments, pollution, hair-styling products and blow-drying have not been found to directly cause hair loss, they can dry and weaken hair, increasing breakage and perpetuating hair loss.

Are there some hair products worse than others?

There are a couple of hair products that could cause hair damage and escalated hair loss, if used excessively. One is hair dye, especially one with bleach ingredients. The harsh chemicals that most hair dyes contain can dry the hair strands excessively, result in split ends and ultimately cause some hair loss in many people.

The other is Perms—also known as a permanent curl.  Hair loss from a perm occurs when the solution is left on the hair too long, when too much solution is used, or when the chemicals in the solution are too strong for the individual’s hair type. Hair damage from perms is more prevalent if the hair wasn’t in good condition in the first place.

Are there other factors that cause hair loss?

The lack of good blood circulation to the scalp may also contribute to hair loss. When the hair root is well supplied with blood it is stronger and less susceptible to the shrinking effects caused by hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone).

Good blood flow strengthens and rejuvenates the small blood vessels in the scalp. Stronger blood vessels Increases the longevity of the hair follicles specially in thinning areas and encourages hair growth.

Finally, you cannot fight the effects of aging. As you age, your hairs tend to break more easily, and hair follicles do not grow as much hair.

Does hair loss occur primarily in older women or can younger women suffer from it?

In women, hair loss usually begins at menopause. Although hair loss in females normally occurs after the age of 50 or even later when it does not follow events like pregnancy, chronic illness, crash diets, stress among others, there has been rare cases reported, in which hair loss affects women as young as 15 or 16.

The balding process and rate vary with each person. Whether it is slow or rapid, the individual would usually notice. Hair loss tends not to be something people ignore.

What suggestions can the hair loss experts offer to give hope to women suffering from hair loss?
Visit us in two weeks for the answer to this and other questions on hair loss.

* Please keep in mind that hair loss and its treatments are medical considerations. And with everything of the medical nature, you and your readers should seek the opinions of your qualified physicians.

Health care reform

By 2014, we can shop for health insurance in new exchanges offering comparisons between different plans that insurance companies provide.

By: Dora Calott Wang, M.D.

As mothers, daughters, wives and leaders of households, women often steer the health care choices of families. Thus in the coming years, women will also be a major force toward implementing health care reform and the landmark Affordable Care Act.

Whenever we enroll a child into newly available health insurance, whenever we convince parents to get mammograms or colonoscopies that will be free under Medicare in 2011, each time we appeal an insurance company’s denial of care, or when we choose health insurance in new marketplaces beginning in 2014 — we will be helping to shape the future of health care in America. In fact, much of the ACA depends upon the actions and choices of patients, with women often taking the lead.

Many ACA laws are already in effect. For example, nursing mothers in most workplaces are now entitled to time and private space to pump breast milk for a child’s first year of life. Did you ever think the feds would mandate this? It’s a new era.

The ACA’s main goal is for nearly every American to have health insurance. New opportunities are already available, and uninsured members of your family may qualify. If someone in your family has been denied health insurance because of a pre-existing illness, check out the new “high-risk pool” insurance plans available now. Log onto Healthcare.gov to find local options, and get your loved one covered. Medicaid has been expanded, so someone in your family may be newly eligible. By September 23, you can insure your children under your own health plan until they are age 26, and insurance companies will have to accept all children under age 19 with pre-existing illnesses.

Patients (and the women often guiding them), might possibly exert the most influence on health care reform through two important ACA measures — appeals processes that should be in place by Sept. 23, and the new health insurance marketplaces in effect by 2014.

In the words of President Obama, the ACA aims to protect patients against the worst abuses of health insurance companies. The ACA provides many safeguards against insurance companies denying coverage. Yet the devil is still in the details when it comes to holding insurers more accountable toward paying for care. To fight against insurance companies taking our premiums, then trying not to pay for medical care, the federal government is cracking down on fraud, waste and abuse. The ACA eliminates life-time caps on health insurance benefits, while mandating that insurance companies now must spend at least 85 percent of their dollars on medical care, rather than on profit and administration.

We the public can do our part to keep insurance companies honest through new appeals processes which should be in place by Sept. 23 for new insurers. If you feel your new insurer is unfairly denying care, or is stalling on time-sensitive care, you will be able to appeal to the insurer itself, but also to an external review process. The ACA leaves it up to individual states to institute these appeals processes, but the federal government will hear grievances if state processes are inadequate.

These appeals processes will be an all-important aspect of health reform — which will be driven by patients making appeals, and therefore reliant upon all of us.

Another crucial step is that by 2014, we can shop for health insurance in new exchanges offering comparisons between different plans. So if we see an insurance company hiking rates by 70 percent in one year, for example, or if an insurance company has a reputation of not paying for care (yes, this will still happen under the ACA), the new exchanges will offer options. Collectively, by choosing insurance for our families, we’ll determine which insurers succeed or fail, and thus shape the landscape of American health care.

The lady of the house has always had a large role in steering the health care choices of her family. Now with the new Affordable Care Act, the actions of women on behalf of their families will collectively shape the future of health care in America.

For more information about the ACA and its timeline, log onto the excellent website, Healthcare.gov.

© 2010 Dora Calott Wang, M.D., author of The Kitchen Shrink: A Psychiatrist’s Reflections on Healing in a Changing World

About the Author:
Dora Calott Wang, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. A graduate of the Yale School of Medicine and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, she received her M.A. in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and has been the recipient of a writer’s residency from the Lannan Foundation. Her memoir, The Kitchen Shrink:  A Psychiatrist’s Reflections on Healing in a Changing World was published by Riverhead Books, The Penguin Group.

For more information please visit www.doracalottwang.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Insurancetips

Tums are antacids

Don’t eat too soon before going to bed. Lying down and eating are two leading triggers for sudden onset of heartburn symptoms.

When you’re sick, sometimes the best course of action is to see a doctor—you know, for those times when you can’t remember what your original skin tone looked like underneath that rapidly-expanding purple rash.

Other times, however, you can feel safe taking care of things on your own and saving your physician some of her precious time and energy.

The following is a list of some common ailments for which some of the most effective remedies are probably already available in your medicine closet, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home.

Headaches
* Find the root cause. The best cure for a headache is prevention—small comfort once it’s already set in, but following these handy guideline from health911.com can at least give you the chance to reduce future incidence.

* Find the root cause (migraines). This handy guide to migraine headaches can help you to better understand and prevent the occurrence of migraine headaches specifically. Much more intense and compromising than normal headaches, migraine sufferers can have a lot more to worry about, and a lot more to gain, from getting a good grasp on the fundamentals.

* Hydration. A headache can be your body’s way of asking for a drink. Water and electrolyte-rich beverages, such as Gatorade or fruit juice, can take the edge off most headaches, but beware anything containing caffeine or alcohol, as these beverages are diuretics and will have the net opposite effect of ridding your body of precious water.

* Hold and cold compresses. An ice pack held to the forehead can numb the pain of a headache, while a warm towel held to the same area can have a relaxing effect. If one doesn’t work, the other might, just don’t jump back and forth between them too rapidly.

* Herbal supplements. Although not medically proven to be effective, certain herbal remedies and supplements have a long track record of being used for lessening the severity of headaches. The number of available treatments is as diverse as the number of people suffering from headaches, so don’t be discouraged if results vary on your first few tries

Toothaches
* Brush regularly. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so the saying goes, and this is especially true with your teeth. Tooth pain is usually the result of long-term damage to the outer mineral layer of your teeth, which can only be repaired properly by a visit to your dentist. The only good home remedy for this kind of damage is preventative—brush, floss, gargle and repeat twice daily.

* Herbs and plants. Depending on the severity and exact location of the pain, a variety of herbal remedies have been known to help reduce the amount of discomfort you may be feeling. Very few of these remedies have the backing of solid science, but if you’re really hurting and can’t make it to the dentist, then they’re probably worth a shot.

* Reduce oral tobacco use. Smoking, chewing, and using snuff are all strong predictors of gum disease, which tends toward the very painful. Avoiding these products can boost the health of your teeth and make those visits to the dentist more pleasant and infrequent

Heartburn and Indigestion
* Don’t eat too soon before going to bed. Lying down and eating are two leading triggers for sudden onset of heartburn symptoms. Put them together with a large meal right before bedtime and it’s asking for trouble.

* Moderate portion sizes. Reflux, heartburn and other related digestive ailments can be exacerbated by large, infrequent meals. Eating smaller portions at shorter intervals is easier for your stomach to handle—and also may contribute to weight loss.

* Prilosec. For recurrent cases of heartburn or gastroesphageal reflux disease (GERD), the novel pharmaceutical Prilosec has been proven effective at reducing recurrence over long periods of time. On the plus side, long-term suppression of symptoms. On the negative side, no instant relief—Prilosec must be taken regularly for two weeks to get the full effect.

* Antacids. Pepcid, Tums, Maalox, and a variety of other over-the-counter medications can provide rapid relief from the symptoms of indigestion. Make sure to avoid Advil or other ibuprofen-based painkillers for treating any stomach conditions, as this class of medications will only serve to aggravate the problem.

See previous article on The Common Cold

Visit next week for Natural Home Remedies for  Insomnia - Foot Fungus-Random

Guest posts from Guide to Massage Therapy Schools

Photo: Lens Creep

Designer Handbag

Like all Hollywood beauties, the handbag is expected to work. Whether in a starring or a supporting role, the handbag is often in the spotlight.

By: Dorothy Howell

Fashion is a major player in Hollywood. Wardrobe departments spend tireless hours perfecting the right “look” for their actors. Celebrity stylists live or die by the image they craft for their clients. Magazines and television shows devote themselves to photos and descriptions of celebrity clothing and accessories.

From the style and elegance of fashion icons such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn during Hollywood’s Golden Era, to pics of celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Reece Witherspoon hitting the trendy L.A. shops, the public is fascinated by what they’re wearing.

Regardless of current styles, situations or occasions, no actress or fashion icon would be caught in public without one indispensable fashion accessory — her handbag.

This year’s Oscar night saw pastels and bright colors, along with ruffles and trains, outside the Kodak Theater; most accompanied by a gorgeous clutch. The different shapes and sizes decorated with jewels glistening under the lights, made it the accessory to watch.

Anna Kendrick, a first-time nominee, carried a jeweled Judith Leiber clutch. Elizabeth Banks accessorized her Verace gown with a gray snakeskin and silver crystal clutch from Salvatore Ferragamo. Diva Demi Moore, ruled the red carpet with a gold leather envelope clutch, while Kate Winslet rocked an Yves Saint-Laurent silver satin bag. These Hollywood fashionistas proved nothing completes a red-carpet look like a handbag.

Yet for all their glamour and prestige, today’s top handbag designers had decidedly unfashionable beginnings. Louis Vuitton made travel trunks in the 1800s, while Hermés crafted horse harnesses for Europe’s aristocracy. Prada, Fendi, and Gucci were known for their leather baggage.

These houses made the jump to light speed, fashion wise, by looking into the future and adapting to changing times, and today they give us some of the most sought-after handbags in the world.

Purses aren’t just another glitz and glamour accessory. Like all Hollywood beauties, the handbag is expected to work. Whether in a starring or a supporting role, the handbag is often in the spotlight.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw, on the Sex and the City television show, received a Judith Leiber handbag from Big. The cupcake purse by this famed designer made an appearance in the SATC movie. Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall, ran afoul of Lucy Liu over a long awaited Birkin bag.

Ruth Buzzi turned her purse into a weapon and fought off her hapless, would-be attacker on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. A decades-old skit so funny it can still be viewed on YouTube.

Who can forget Jamie Farr’s portrayal of Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger and his desperate attempt to get discharged from the Army by dressing in drag on the long running television show M*A*S*H? He went about his duties wearing a dress, hat, gloves, high heels and, of course, carrying a handbag.

The style, glitz and glam of a Hollywood-worthy purse are available to the everyday fashionista. Retail, discount, and online stores abound. Be the star of your own show with the handbag of your dreams.

© 2010 Dorothy Howell, author of Shoulder Bags and Shootings: A Haley Randolph Mystery

About the Author:
Dorothy Howell, author of  Shoulder Bags and Shootings: A Haley Randolph Mystery, was inspired to write Handbags and Homicide by her crazed obsession with designer purses. She lives in Southern California, where there is, thankfully, no rehab program for handbag addiction, and is hard at work on her next Haley Randolph mystery. Visit her Website at www.DorothyHowellNovels.com.

Follow the author on Facebook.

Photo: crazyshopper

Using Social Media

Social media is an excellent way to build relationships, but don’t forget the value of face to face meetings, phone calls, hand written notes, and emails.

By: Fauzia Burke

Social media has given us great ways to protect and build our digital reputations. Today we have the ease of searching conversations, the ability to set alerts to help us monitor our names, the constant availability of learning opportunities and more ways to communicate and interact with others. All of these tools, which were not available just a few years ago, now make it possible for us to be proactive in maintaining, building and protecting our good name. Here are five easy ways to do just that:

#1 Set Goals
I am sure you have done this already, but just in case, first do a search on Google for your name in quotation marks. It is important to see what comes up on the first page. The first page of a google search result is precious real-estate. Then set up a simple spreadsheet so you can keep track of your digital footprint. Do a little research and spend some time collecting numbers. How many Facebook followers do you have? What kind of traffic do you get on your site? Once you have the numbers you can then decide on your goals.

Are you interested in growing the numbers of links/connections/followers or do you want more one-on-one engagement? Or are you more interested in getting retweets on Twitter (which, as Guy Kawasaki said recently is “now the sincerest form of flattery”). Once the goals are in place, track the results in the spreadsheet and adjust as needed.

#2 Learn
To accomplish any of these goals, you are going to need to learn. The new world of communication is moving quickly, which naturally lends itself to a couple of advantages. First, there is a lot of room for experimentation, so use your talents and skills to communicate in your own unique way. Second, this experimentation has led to collaboration, and smart people are sharing information all the time. Make sure you make time every day for “learning.” Look over sites and information to keep up with the developments in social media. Currently I am taking part in an online conference, called Social Media Success Summit 2010 and am learning a lot. And among the many sites I visit, one of my daily stops is: PR Daily News: Public Relations news and marketing in the age of social media.

#3 Develop Content
To communicate 24/7, which is now the expectation and the norm, you need to develop different types of content. Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge and collaborate with others. However, blogging can be a big undertaking. Blogging expert Denise Wakeman recommends that you blog 3 times a week. If that is a daunting task for you, try guest blogging on an established site or blog in your industry. Another way some of my clients have developed content is through books, ebooks, whitepapers, audio recordings, slide presentations and videos.

#4 Build Relationships
Building and maintaining relationships has never been easier. Those of us in sales and marketing have always known the value of relationship building, but now everyone needs to make it a priority. Make sure you have profiles on LinkedIn, and Facebook. Twitter is a fantastic source of information, and an excellent place to learn. People on Twitter are eager and happy to help each other. To get tips on effective communication on these sites, I look to Cindy Ratzlaff who has a daily video tip along with regular blog posts on her site. Social media is an excellent way to build relationships, but don’t forget the value of face to face meetings, phone calls, hand written notes, and emails. It’s good to focus on important clients and influencers, but leave room for the “accidental” connections. Social media networking can be serendipitous, you never know which person may lead you to a new connection or client.

#5 Monitor
Social media alerts (Google or Social Mention) are a great way to monitor your name and/or industry. If something important happens in your industry you’ll know about it and can comment. If someone says something positive, a thank you goes a long way. If there is negative chatter starting up around your name or company, alerts keep you on top of it and you can jump in and take care of things quickly. I also use Addictomatic which is a great site for big picture monitoring.

There are many tools and resources now that can help us to become better communicators and better guardians of our reputations. I know it is a big undertaking, but the question to ask yourself is: If you are not investing in yourself, why should anyone else?

© 2010 Fauzia Burke

About the Author:
Fauzia Burke is the Founder and President of FSB Associates, a web publicity and social media firm specializing in creating awareness for books and authors. Founded in 1995, FSB’s mission is to give authors an opportunity to promote their work to an eager, targeted audience online. FSB is based in the NYC area.  For web publicity and social media news, follow Fauzia on a new Twitter feed: @WebSnapshot, Facebook and The Huffington Post.

For more information please visit fsbassociates.com.

Photo: HansKristian

Common cold

The following is a list of some common ailments for which some of the most effective remedies are probably already available in your home.

When you’re sick, sometimes the best course of action is to see a doctor—you know, for those times when you can’t remember what your original skin tone looked like underneath that rapidly-expanding purple rash.

Other times, however, you can feel safe taking care of things on your own and saving your physician some of her precious time and energy.

The following is a list of some common ailments for which some of the most effective remedies are probably already available in your medicine closet, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home.

The Common Cold – Headaches – Toothaches – Heartburn & Indigestion – Insomnia - Foot Fungus -Random

The Common Cold

• Fluids. Maintaining proper hydration helps keep down congestion—The Mayo Clinic recommends “water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey” as the most fundamental and important way to keep mucus under control.

• Get some rest. Feeling crappy is your body’s way of telling you to slow down and take it easy. Keeping yourself warm and staying home allows your body to focus its resources on clearing you of infection (and also keeps you from spreading germs to anyone else).

• Antihistamines. These medications address the symptoms of a cold by suppressing inflammation, helping to keep airways open and clear. Depending on the systemic (body-wide) effects of this anti-inflammatory response, however, it might be wise to try this one last.

• Saltwater gargle. Not as much fun as warm lemon water with honey, but much more effective for a wham-bam instant phlegm clearing. The effect on congestion is instant, even if it only lasts 5-10 minutes. Visit eHow.com for details.

• Cough medications. Over-the-counter medications can be quite effective at treating the symptoms of a cold, but the underlying viral infection will still need to run its course. Over-the-counter products are also to be avoided in young children, and can actually worsen symptoms if taken for more than a few days, or if taken above the recommended dosage. Antibiotics are useless at best and counterproductive at worst, since the infection is not bacterial.

• Humidity. In a similar vein to fluids above, breathing warm, moist air can take the edge off of uncomfortable congestion. Just be careful not to breathe in steam too close to the source, or you might risk burning your nose.

• Nasal drops and sprays. In essence, a less-intense version of the saltwater gargle that promotes mucus flow, and can be exceptionally useful for children too young for other methods to work. Visit About.com for details.

• Chicken soup. A good salty vegetable soup can work the same cold-curing wonders if you’re ethically challenged in the chicken-eating department. In any case, The Mayo Clinic has conducted some interesting research into the merits of chicken soup, and it turns out your mother does know what she’s talking about when she serves it up to you in bed.

• Blow gently. It’s important to clear your nose regularly when you have a cold, but be careful of clearing your nose too forcefully. Excessive nose-blowing can send bacteria up into your sinuses (air-filled cavities between your brain and nose), which can lead to further congestion, earaches, and other undesirable outcomes.

  Visit next week for Natural Home Remedies for Headaches – Toothaches – Heartburn & Indigestion – Insomnia - Foot Fungus -Random

  Guest posts from Guide to Massage Therapy Schools

  Photo: mcfarlandmo

]]> http://www.notjustthekitchen.com/health-beauty/great-home-remedies-that-take-care-of-everything/feed/ 1 http://www.notjustthekitchen.com/family-relationships/are-you-being-patient-or-simply-being-a-chicken/ http://www.notjustthekitchen.com/family-relationships/are-you-being-patient-or-simply-being-a-chicken/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:19:06 +0000 rita morgan http://www.notjustthekitchen.com/?p=3580

waiting patiently

The best place to exercise patience is in our relationships with others. All too often, this is where true patience is lacking.

By: Kristen Moeller

The line between waiting and patience is a fine one. Let me define what I mean by waiting. Waiting is a passive way of being — the symptoms of which are: putting our life on hold; thinking the next big thing is just over the horizon; looking outside ourselves for answers; or believing it will be better someday.

If you find yourself saying (or thinking) the following you may be waiting:

• * I’m not ready, yet.
• * I don’t have the right education.
• * I need to lose 10 pounds first.
• * I don’t have enough money.
• * I’m not inspired.
• * They should apologize first.

Patience, on the other hand, can be defined as our ability to accept delay. It is a state of being peaceful or thoughtful. It is a time of introspection and quiet. As it is said, patience is a virtue. It can be a powerful place to be — and it can be misused, misunderstood or manipulated. We may pretend we are being patient when actually we are being wimpy.

It is useful to distinguish which state we are in. Here are some general guidelines to know if you are waiting:

1. You have a sense of unease — you know there is something you need to be doing and you are not doing it. And sometimes, you have waited so long in a particular area; you even struggle to identify what the source of unease is.

2. You are dissatisfied — you are not living in the moment. You are sure your life will be better when it is different in some way than it is right now (e.g.: you find your perfect mate, complete that project, go on your next vacation).

3. You are grumpy — you feel like life is passing you by. You get in bed at the end of the day and realize you don’t have any clear memories of anything you did because in all your busyness you weren’t even present. You don’t even remember if you took a deep breath.

Waiting can hide out in the nooks and crannies of our life. To assist my clients in determining how and where they are waiting, I ask them to list the top 10 reasons they won’t accomplish something they say is important to them. This gives them the freedom to be unabashedly truthful — to put on paper the lingering doubts that are hovering quietly in the background or screaming loudly in their face. We humans are sneaky. We have all sorts of ways we sabotage our dreams. Only by telling ourselves the blatantly honest and sometimes brutal truth can we tell if we are waiting or being patient.

To illustrate, I did the same exercise when I was writing my book. I looked at the top 10 reasons I wouldn’t complete the project. Here is a sampling:

• * I will continuously distract myself with busy work — cleaning out the junk drawers never seemed as appealing as when I am trying to write.
• * I will repeatedly doubt and question my ability as a writer and compare myself to other “successful” writers.
• * I will continue to look outside myself for inspiration.
• * I will take on other projects and commitments and not schedule any time to write.

You tell me. Do you hear patience in any of these “reasons”? No! These are excuses I could use for not taking action on something that was tremendously important to me.

Now, I encourage you to look for yourself. Pick an area of your life that you have been working on for a while. Make your top 10 list. Be willing to shed light on those hidden ways you wait. Be bold and tell yourself the truth. See where patience is needed or where you are making excuses.

As a final note, the best place to exercise patience is in our relationships with others. All too often, this is where true patience is lacking. And yes, it is important to be patient with ourselves, but once again, we can be on a slippery slope. I can lull myself into believing I am being patient when in fact, it’s important to take bold action. Or I may actually be lacking acceptance for the way things are and what is needed is a touch of patience.

Being an eternally creative and mischievous human, I have to ask myself constantly, am I being patient with my process or am I simply letting myself off the hook?

© 2010 Kristen Moeller, author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life

About the Author:
Kristen Moeller, MS is the bestselling author of Waiting for Jack: Confessions of a Self-Help Junkie: How to Stop Waiting and Start Living Your Life. As a coach, speaker, and radio show host, Kristen delights in “disrupting the ordinary” and inspiring others to do the same. She first discovered her passion for personal development in 1989 after recovering from an eating disorder and addiction

Kristen is also the founder of the Chick-a-go Foundation — a not-for-profit that provides “pay it forward” scholarships for life altering training programs reaching people who otherwise cannot afford such opportunities.

When she is not actively making a difference in the world, she thrives in the beauty of Colorado and enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, riding her horse or just spending time reading or relaxing in her magical, solar-powered house on the side of a mountain with two large dogs, an ornery cat and her best friend and husband of 15 years.

For more information please visit www.waitingforjack.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo:  Chewy Chua