May is Skin Cancer Prevention Month! Take these steps to protect yourself from #SkinCancer: http://1.usa.gov/1G8qOTW
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May is National Skin Cancer Month
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. UV radiation can also come from tanning booths or sunlamps.
UV damage can also cause wrinkles and blotches or spots on your skin. The good news is that skin cancer can be prevented, and it can almost always be cured when it’s found and treated early.
The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun and other sources of ultraviolet (UV) rays.
To protect your skin:
- Stay in the shade as much as possible between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Put on sunscreen every 2 hours and after you swim or sweat.
- Cover up with long sleeves, long pants or a skirt, a hat, and sunglasses.
- Avoid indoor tanning.
- Check your skin for changes regularly.
Why do I need to protect my skin?
Protecting your skin today may help prevent skin cancer later in life. Most skin cancer appears after age 50, but skin damage from the sun can start during childhood.
Taking steps to prevent skin cancer may also help prevent:
- Wrinkles
- Blotches or spots on your skin
- Other damage to your skin and eyes
During the month of May, join us in taking action to prevent skin cancer and reduce the risk of UV damage. It’s never too late to start protecting it!
Pollen is real
You know what I’m talking about…it’s spring allergy season. Cars are coated in a fine greenish-yellow dust; actually, everything is coated with it. It’s spring and the pollen is real. For years, I would run from my door to the security of my car, drive to work with the windows shut tight, then run from the car to the entrance of my office building trying to avoid activating my allergies. Most of the time, I failed. The pollen was just faster than I, no matter how fast I ran. I hated my allergy look, red teary eyes and runny mascara not to mention the sniffly nose!
The worst part? Not only did I have to deal with the sneezing and watery eyes, I had to invest in a four-month supply of Claritin® or Zyrtec® or a prescription written by my primary healthcare provider, just to be able to walk outside. To be clear, I lived on Claritin® for years, and it sometimes became an expensive strain on the budget.
Then a friend introduced me to CounterAct Allergy. Now I don’t have to hide from the sneezing, wheezing, and watery eyes. Or the itchy, runny, stuffy nose. I’m able to be out in the fresh air all season long with CounterAct Allergy. This over-the-counter allergy medicine is a 24-hour antihistamine relief that, like Claritin®, contains loratadine, and it makes the perfect replacement for Claritin®.
It’s made with the exact same active ingredient as Claritin® but costs HALF the price. More importantly, it contains no aspartame, dyes, and other miscellaneous ingredients that are listed on the the Claritin® package as you can see in the comparison images below:
So CounterAct Allergy has
No dyes,
No aspartame,
No watery eyes,
and is half the price.
CounterAct® Allergy provides 24-hour, non-drowsy relief from seasonal allergy symptoms to help me breathe easy at a cost about 50% less than other brands.
CounterAct® keeps me and my family happy with safe, effective, and affordable
alternatives to expensive, brand-name products.
I love this product!
Are essential oils good for pets?
Essential oils have earned their place among those who enjoy and benefit from aromatherapy. From easing nausea to decreasing anxiety, these natural, plant-derived products have been central in the lives of many generations, and today they have become part of the natural cure-all trend.
While seemingly safe and advantageous for people, essential oils and pets may be a terrible combination.
Essential oils are highly concentrated compounds derived from plant roots, stems, flowers, leaves and seeds. In addition to applying them as holistic treatments, essential oils can be used in various personal, household and cleaning products.
Essential oils offer numerous healing benefits to people, and although they are natural they may not be safe for your pet. They can present risks to your pet if inhaled, ingested or absorbed into the skin. Just as there are many plants that are considered toxic, irritating, or known to trigger allergic reactions in some animals, essential oils and pets do not safely mix.
The combination of essential oils and pets can be particularly worrisome because there are so many possible ways pets can be exposed to them. Believe it or not, essential oil diffusers, liquid potpourri products, room sprays, air fresheners and more can place your furry companions at risk. Just like humans, animals that have breathing problems, such as asthma, can exhibit labored breathing, excessive panting, or wheezing when exposed to essential oils.
Oils mixed with water molecules and diffused into the air can land on the fur or skin of household pets. They may not only cause irritation to the surface area but if licked and ingested, the following serious symptoms can occur:
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Squinting
- Drooling
- Lethargy
- Stumbling or disorientation
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Low heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- Trouble getting comfortable
Cats are more sensitive than dogs when it comes to essential oils because they lack a specific enzyme needed to protect the liver from noxious fumes. They may suffer gastrointestinal upset, depression of the central nervous system, and liver damage if overexposed to essential oils.
Additionally, other small animals, birds, and those with compromised immunity deserve an added layer of protection from various essential oils that include:
- Peppermint or wintergreen
- Pine
- Tea tree
- Citrus
- Clove
- Oregano
- Eucalyptus
- Pennyroyal
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Birch
- Anise
- Juniper
- Yarrow
- Thyme
The bottom line with essential oils and pets is to simply keep them apart. If you must use them, be sure your pet is not in the same room. Keep all products out of their reach. If you use them topically, do not allow your pet to lick your skin. Know the signs of toxicity and seek help right away.While there are commercial products available that are advertised at pet-safe or even pet-healthy, we encourage you to discuss your pet’s health with your veterinarian prior to making any changes.
It’s best to err on the safer side.
It’s National Pet Parents Day
National Pet Parents Day is the last Sunday in April (April 28). There is a very special connection, a unique bond, between a pet and its owner.
Studies show pets give us unconditional love every day, and that love provides us with numerous health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, alleviating depression and stress, improving our immune systems, and even reducing our risk of stroke and heart attack.
- Take a trip to the park: Your fuzzy friend will appreciate the time to frolic with their friends, and you’ll love that they will be able to run all their extra energy out!
- Homemade dog treats: Nothing says “I love you” like some home-baked goods! Homemade treats with healthy ingredients like pumpkin, tuna, carrots, or apples are typically healthier than store bought treats.
- Play games: Hide treats, toss a toy around, or use an interactive game that rewards them for solving the puzzle.
- Extra affection: Give your dog an extra belly rub or scratch your cat behind their ears more often.
- Take a walk: If your dog is active, take him on an extra long hike, for a swim, or for a run. Less active dogs may still enjoy a walk around the neighborhood.
- Go shopping: Take a trip to the pet store and let them help pick out a new toy!
Are Spring allergies getting you down?
My allergies hit full force this past week because our garden suddenly bloomed!
Luckily, I had my favorite natural antihistamine on hand, Provex Plus, and was able to hold allergy symptoms at bay. Provex Plus is a proprietary combination of grape seed extract, gingko biloba, and bilberry supports healthy circulation and helps protect organs from damaging free radicals. So there are quite a few important benefits like anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, in addition to being a natural antihistamine!
I used to take prescribed allergy medications—with some, I felt sleepy and groggy, while others left me chronically thirsty. They may have stopped the itchy, tearing eyes and runny nose and itchy skin, but I didn’t feel BETTER. I seemed to have traded one set of symptoms for another. When I discovered Provex Plus, I couldn’t believe how good I felt, no grogginess, no runny nose or itchy eyes, no side effects at all. For me, it works just as well but without the side effects and it is so much cheaper too! I make sure to take one daily and it’s all I need!
What do you take for allergy?
Teachers Deserve Better Pay
Did you know that 60% of teachers cannot survive on their salary! This video highlights several teachers who have had to take 2nd jobs just to survive. And this is true of many respectable careers that just cannot provide for a family these days without the help of a 2nd or 3rd income.
Have you considered seeking that additional job? Rather than have to add many more hours to your already stretched day, or change careers, there is an answer to helping supplement your family/personal income by helping others to be healthier from the comfort of your own home. One that I and many others are enjoying every day! Sometimes it is just a matter of educating the educator!
Meet Some of Our Members Who Have Developed a Reliable Income From Home
Teachers deserve better pay
Did you know that 60% of teachers cannot survive on their salary!
It’s not that U.S. teachers are underpaid; the median income for the country’s 1 million high-school teachers, for example, is more than 50 percent higher than that of the general population. But relative to peers with similar levels of education, teachers are falling behind. In 1994, public-school teachers made only 2 percent less than college graduates in other fields; by 2015, the gap was 17 percent.
In more than half of the country, after adjusting for inflation, average teacher salaries have declined since the start of the century. In West Virginia, where pay has dropped by 8.9 percent since 2000, teachers went on strike in late February, forcing lawmakers to pass a 5 percent pay increase for the next school year. Teachers’ unions in Arizona, Oklahoma and Kentucky plan similar walkouts if their demands aren’t met.
Many have had to take 2nd jobs just to survive—this is true of many respectable careers that just cannot provide for a family these days without the help of a 2nd or 3rd income. Teachers shouldn’t have to work second and third jobs to make ends meet, as many say they do, even in states with low costs of living.
Have you considered seeking that additional job? Rather than have to add many more hours to your already stretched day, or change careers, there is an answer to helping supplement your family/personal income by helping others to be healthier from the comfort of your own home. One that I and many others are enjoying every day! Sometimes it is just a matter of educating the educator!
When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes?
Cleaning your makeup brushes once a week is VERY important to combat bacteria and maintain healthy skin. Plus, regular cleaning helps promote the longevity of those “oh-so-expensive” brushes. I know I have a few favorite brushes and I want them to last as long as possible.
I’ve discovered a safe disinfectant that does a great job, strong and harsh chemical free, so it’s safe enough to clean my brushes while destroying 99.9% of the bacteria.
What is it? It’s the same stuff I use to clean my kitchen and countertops! I can do a simple soak and rinse and let them air dry. The brushes are like new. When I don’t have time to soak the brushes, I just spray them and wipe them down for a quick clean. this amazing stuff really kills the bacteria and no diluting is needed.
| Safer Household Website |
Helping Others Helps You
The fastest (and easiest) way to achieve your own goals is by helping others reach theirs. You’ve heard it said since you were a child, “it is better to give than to receive”. The article below from Forbes Magazine points that out in some detail.
Whether it is sharing the knowledge of how the products your company offers can help them or listening (instead of talking) in order to discover what is important to them or sharing the resources of a website that you subscribe to that can assist them in their business, these things all constitute helping them achieve their own goals.
You can also help others by making them aware of opportunities that they may not have considered. Giving them valuable feedback about your observations of their own activities, in a non-critical way can improve their effectiveness. Show them how advocating for their own company’s brand, in a whole-hearted way, can improve their own posture and that of their company, as well.
Don’t be reluctant to share your own networking connections. They may be able to nurture some new connections. And offer and give freely of your time, whenever you can. Remember, also, to recognize their achievements in a genuine way. Finally, keep your attention out for a particular “gift” (not expensive) that would be meaningful to them in a personal way.
Helping others can be inconvenient at times. It takes time and requires subordinating your own goals in the short-run. In the long run, it will pay significant dividends as you strive for your own goals. Never, never be reluctant to help, you will gain and you will feel better about yourself and that AWAYS makes YOU better.
Hayseeds Creative 