Curiously Awesome

United American Insurance Company was founded over sixty years ago to provide life, health, and accident coverage (originally only to the people of Texas). Since that time, they have grown and today UAIC operates in 49 states and the District of Columbia and Canada.

Health insurance is expensive. Paying for insurance can be expensive…not having it can be devastating. I appreciate insurance that is value priced so that my family can receive the care and prescriptions that we need when we need them.

United American Health Insurance is known for its good service and responsiveness to its customers.

To lose weight, try not counting calories and start counting nutrients or super foods instead.

Companies like Weight Watchers come out with these low calorie bars and ready made meals… but how many nutrients do they have? Are they really going to help people lose weight? And how long will this weight stay off? As soon as they stop counting the calories the weight will return.

The secret to losing weight and truly experiencing optimum health is to count the nutrients in the food you are eating. Love the food you eat because you know it will nourish your body and in turn make you look and feel gorgeous.

Imagine how effective forgetting the calories might be. Enjoy a healthy smoothie for breakfast. Who knows how many calories it has… and who cares? Every ingredient is nourishing the body and mind. It is literally filling the body with the fuel it needs to do its job.

Vow to never count a calorie again!

Someday I would like to explore my options for plastic or reconstructive surgery. Kids have taken their toll on my body over the years. It’s not THAT bad…but let’s just say it’s not like it once was – before kids, that is.

If you are interested in having some “work” done…here is some good information that may be useful. If a breast enlargement San Dimas is what you are interested in, then read on. This is a very informative website and there are many procedures to read about.  If you look carefully at their site you will be able to find case studies and testimonials as well.

According to the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS), Americans who work in offices spend about 52 hours a week at their desks or in their cubicles. Those who work in typical office environments, often in windowless spaces with no natural light, have increased stress and reduced job satisfaction levels.

Could there be a relatively simple and inexpensive way to make the American workplace more humane and even healthier? Yes! Research published recently in the ASHS journal HortScience concludes the workplace can be improved with the addition of live plants and/or a view of the outdoors.

A study was designed to see if offices with windows and views of green spaces as well as offices containing live plants increased productivity and employee happiness on the job. The research team used a satisfaction survey posted on the Internet and administered to office workers in Texas and the Midwest that asked questions about work environments, job satisfaction, the presence or absence of live plants and windows, environmental preferences of the office workers, and demographic information.

The survey results revealed that employees who worked in office environments containing live plants or window views reported a dramatically better overall life quality and feeling of job satisfaction compared to employees who worked in office environments without plants or windows.

The complete study is available at the ASHS HortScience electronic journal web site:
((http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/cgi…) .

If you’re interested in boosting productivity and just feeling better while working in your office, try adding a few plants:

1. Philodendron scandens ‘oxycardium’, heartleaf philodendron

2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron

3. Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’, cornstalk dracaena

4. Hedera helix, English ivy

5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant

6. Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’, Janet Craig dracaena

7. Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’, Warneck dracaena

8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig

9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos

10. Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’, peace lily

11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron

12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen

13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm

14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant

15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

It’s important to note that NASA scientists found that some of the plants zero in on specific chemicals. For example, English ivy, gerbera daisies, pot mums, peace lily, bamboo palm, and Mother-in-law’s Tongue are best for eliminating benzene while the peace lily, gerbera daisy, and bamboo palm are effective in treating trichloroethylene. NASA research also revealed the bamboo palm, Mother-in-law’s tongue, dracaena warneckei, peace lily, dracaena marginata, golden pathos, and green spider plant are good at filtering out formaldehyde.

There is a brand new site just launched that provides comprehensive sex health information for adults in an engaging and entertaining high quality video format.

Sex Health and STD Testing videos are but one of the high quality instructional videos you will find on this website.

Press Release:

SexHealthGuru.com Launches Video Website for Sexual Health

Sex Finally Arrives on the Internet!

New York, NY, June 18th, 2008 – When Sex Health Guru (www.SexHealthGuru.com) went live today, it became the first website of its kind in more ways than one. Most online health websites are focused on the baby boomer generation and rely upon the oldest media – text. By contrast, SexHealthGuru.com is built around new media – video content – and was created for an overlooked portion of the online health market – 18 to 40 year olds.

Effective communication with this demographic requires a different approach then the formulaic one typically taken by traditional health websites. While the content still needs to be built on a foundation of easy-to-understand expert information, it is only relevant to this audience if it’s presented in an engaging, media-friendly format.

Sex Health Guru offers over 200 videos in categories including Birth Control, STDs, Sex Health, Sex Skills, and Sex 101. These videos were created to entertain as well as inform, and deliver an enjoyable viewing experience, on par with the best short-form web clips in entertainment. Even so, every video is hosted by a medical expert, like an OB-GYN, and provides valuable information in a straightforward, easy-to-understand format.

Although SexHeathGuru.com is a new website, this is not the first foray into web video for FullTurn Media, the site’s parent company. FullTurn Media, through the illumistream health brand, is already the largest provider of health video on the web, with over 30 million video views in each of the last two months.

In the wake of the recent CDC study which concluded that 26% of American teenage girls have an STD, FullTurn Media CEO Joshua Silberstein said, “Sex education in the United States isn’t working. People need easy access to accurate, unbiased information about STDs and birth control. More than that – they need that information in a format that will resonate with them.” Sex Health Guru (www.sexhealthguru.com) may be a real first step towards that vision.

About FullTurn Media

FullTurn Media produces and distributes “expert-centric” short-form video content under the illumistream health and SexHealthGuru brand names, and has a library of over 750 videos. Each video features a doctor or relevant expert, and answers a complex question in a straightforward manner. The videos are developed in a dynamic, engaging format, and organized into easily accessible series.

Contact: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joshua Silberstein, FullTurn Media

Phone: 917-804-5728

JSilberstein@fullturnmedia.com

There is now evidence showing that domestic animals not only provide great companionship, but they can also help prevent illness.

A recent study conducted by the University of Minnesota has highlighted the importance of regular contact with pets. The study showed that having a cat for a pet can reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke by just under 50 percent.

The study included 4,500 adults between the ages of 30 and 75 years. The study participants were followed for 10 years. The conclusion was that cat owners had a 40 percent lower risk of a fatal heart attack.

The correlation between stress and anxiety and cardiovascular problems has been standard information for years. The conclusion is that owning pets relieves some of the factors leading to these health problems.

Another study published in 2007 concluded that dog owners had lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure. Again, the conclusion is that dogs (as well as cats) directly improve humans’ health by improving stress levels.

Owning a pet can also improve a patient’s chances of survival after suffering a life-threatening illness. The effect pets have on blood pressure is thought to be the reason. Pets also help cut rehabilitation time following a stroke.

There is a charity that takes pets to patient centers to aid patients in their various recoveries. It is called Pets as Therapy (PAT) and was formed in 1983 by a group of pet owners who were sure that their pets could help others in need. Their initial goal was to help elderly patients who had been forced to give up their own pets to enter care facilities. The mission of PAT has grown over the years to now encompass the animals being used for desensitization in phobia patients, for aiding in stroke rehabilitation, for helping people regain the use of limbs again and to for relearning how to talk.

There are thousands of facilities that PAT animals frequent each year. After a slow start, there is now a waiting list. There are currently 3,600 dogs and 92 cats that work in the organization. The animals wear a brightly colored PAT vest and they are always freshly groomed to ensure sanitary conditions for patients.

Each PAT animal is carefully assessed prior to using them to make sure that they are properly behaved and will remain calm when they come into contact with patients.

Part of the benefit of pet ownership, especially among the elderly, is that a pet fulfills a need to be needed. Very often the emotional support given freely by an animal is far more meaningful than what can be offered by a human. Studies have also shown that children who have pets have higher self-esteem and are more emotionally secure and stable. Some teachers are even introducing pets into their classrooms to enhance the learning environment for children.

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Addendum:  I have an elderly neighbor that is a perfect illustration of this study and I am including it because it completely supports this study.  Last year, my neighbor’s adult children were going on an extended trip and they asked my neighbor to watch their two cats.  I believe the cat-sitting was approximately a month long – so there was plenty of time to watch what happened.

The change in my neighbor was astounding!  She suddenly had more purpose to her daily life and I enjoyed watching as she became visibly happier each day.  Basically, I can attest to the fact that this study just makes sense and I have actually seen this in action.  It really is true.  The end of the story?  My neighbor’s kids bought her a kitten and that cat and my neighbor are the best pair of companions!

We eat a huge amount of wheat. Unfortunately, the majority of the wheat products that we consume are highly refined and processed to the point where they are worthless and actually harmful to our bodies.

Vegan, Vegetarian & Raw Foods products are something worth researching.

Did you know that the nutritional powerhouse of the wheat product is in the seed (or berry) itself…NOT in the refined flour products? If you were to sow wheat berries, in approximately two weeks you would have access to wheatgrass, which contains all of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and nutrients that your body needs every day.

The health benefits of wheatgrass are numerous and amazing, as is the list of foods you can create with this unique ingredient. From breads to cookies to pizza to desserts…you can even use wheatgrass to treat a variety of physical ailments!

I have just convinced myself that I need a wheatgrass kit. Not only will this be very beneficial for my family’s health, a growing kit like this will be an activity my whole family will enjoy.

A number of physical therapy programs have now started to use the Nintendo Wii gaming system as part of treatments to help people recover from strokes and other central nervous system injuries.

One institution using the gaming system is the Dodd Hall Rehabilitation Hospital (part of the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus).

Unlike traditional game consoles that are controlled by levers and buttons on hand-held devices, the Wii is controlled by a remote that is able to sense its position relative to a sensor. This allows the console to be controlled with three-dimensional movement and large-body gestures.

Dodd Hall purchased a Wii, and now their patients who are recovering from strokes, spinal injuries or brain trauma are able to use the Wii approximately 30 minutes a day for two to three days each week.

The Wii helps physical therapy patients improve their balance, coordination, upper and lower body strength, and general stamina. Patients use the Wii not just to play games but also to look up news or other information through an Internet connection. This activity helps patients maintain and improve their mental functioning.

There are also patients who use the Wii to play bowling or boxing games that require full-body movement. This builds coordination and strength.

Interesting opportunity for readers today:

I have just read about a revolutionary new stem cell technology empowering women to safely and easily collect potentially life-saving stem cells found in menstrual blood. The scientific study of C’elle stem cells was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Cell Transplantation. These menstrual stem cells have demonstrated the ability to differentiate into other cell types such as heart muscle, cartilage, nerve and bone stem cells. This is exciting because it translates directly into the potential for future therapeutic developments to possibly treat major diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, MS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. There are also potential cosmeceutical applications like anti-aging and wound-healing as well. Menstrual stem cells are an automatic 100% match for the woman donor and may possibly match her first degree relatives as well.

If you did not bank your newborn’s cord blood and you are regretting it now or have a family history of major disease or you are approaching menopause or you are young and healthy…there are many reasons why this would be an interesting option for many people. Learn about C’elle Order Now Special Promotion Code: OL

There are some new studies recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control demonstrating how important hand washing is in preventing the transmission of disease in a household setting.

This is new because the majority of prior studies on the importance of hand washing have implicated touch as the single most important disease transmission route but have focused on workers in the food and health industries.

In one study researchers tested various household surfaces for traces of the polio virus in homes where infants had recently been vaccinated against the disease. The weakened virus from the vaccine is shed in infants’ feces for a short time afterwards so traces of the disease would indicate exposure to the infants’ feces. Researchers found that 13 percent of bathroom, kitchen and living room surfaces tested positive for polio.

In another study, researchers tested toilet bowls in homes where at least one person had been diagnosed with a salmonella infection. As much as three weeks after the infection, toilet bowls were still found to be contaminated with the bacteria. This suggests that even long after an infection has passed, it still has the capability to spread throughout a house.

In a third study a volunteer touched a door handle that had been contaminated with a virus and then shook hands with a number of other volunteers. Tests later determined that this spread the virus to six other people.

The main results show us that people should focus on cleaning key disease transmission surfaces in the home like doorknobs, faucets and toilet flush handles. In addition to washing their hands after sneezing or using the toilet, or before eating, people also need to do so after changing diapers, cleaning up after pets, touching trash cans, or cleaning any surfaces or utensils that might have come into contact with waste or raw food.